


Prenatal Care and Lessons from Reinhold Niebuhr

by albatross9



Series: Child Rearing [3]
Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Drama, Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Marriage, Original Character(s), Post-Season/Series 06, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-06-12 19:43:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 30,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15347286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/albatross9/pseuds/albatross9
Summary: Sequel to Family Planning. Of all people, Jeff Winger knows that life doesn't always go according to plan, but getting his fiancee pregnant less than a month after their engagement is way off book. Even for him. Jeff's no stranger to fatherhood, but there's a big difference between bringing home a seven-year-old and bringing home an infant. He isn't ready for this at all.





	1. Chapter 1

             “Jeff?”

              Jeff was frozen where he stood in the entryway of his apartment. His brain had gone fuzzy. Pregnant? Had Annie just said pregnant? There was no way. He must have heard her wrong because pregnant was not part of the plan. Marriage had just recently become part of the plan and he was still wrapping his head around that.

              “Jeff?” Annie asked again, taking a step towards him.

              He swallowed hard and focused on his fiancé standing in front of him. She was here. She had gotten on a plane and flown all the way to Colorado to see him. Now she was standing in front of him looking very worried. “Um. What?”

              “I’m pregnant,” she repeated.

              “Are you sure?”

              She went from concerned to frustrated in record time. “Of course I’m sure!” she shot back. “I took six tests, I’m pretty damn sure!”

              This was so not part of the plan. Jeff took a few steps back and tried to think of something else to say, but the static hadn’t cleared from his mind yet. He had nothing.

              “Well, say something!” Annie demanded.

              Jeff shook his head back and forth. “I’m freaking out.” It was all he could say.

              “You can’t freak out! I’m freaking out! You already have a kid! I’m the one who should be freaking out!”

              “Tyler is different!” Jeff froze again as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He cut his eyes to Tyler’s closed bedroom door. The kid was supposed to be asleep, but if they had woken him up, his room was easily within earshot of where they stood. This was not a conversation he wanted his son overhearing.

              Jeff reached out and grabbed Annie by the elbow, leading her into his bedroom and shutting the door behind them.

              “Jeff,” Annie said his name again as he shut the door. “I went from a soon-to-be step-mom to a soon-to-be-mom overnight. One of us has to be calm right now and I am guaranteeing you it is not going to be me.”

              He turned his back on the door and faced her. She was looking at him with wide, pleading eyes, her hands pressed against her stomach like she was still grasping the concept herself.

              He took a deep breath. “Okay,” he said, mentally steadying himself. “Okay, I think I can do calm.”

              “I like order. I like structure. I like things to go according to plan.” Annie shook her head. “Spontaneity is fun every now and then, but an unplanned pregnancy is way too spontaneous for me.”

              She moved to sit on the edge of Jeff’s bed and Jeff moved with her, sitting beside her in silence while she panicked. “I have a contract with the FBI. New recruits have a three year commitment. I don’t have a choice. I have to keep working there for the next year and a half.”

              Jeff knew his part in this was to just listen. On the outside he projected calm, but on the inside, he was still neck deep in panic.

              “This was not the plan,” Annie said.

              No, this was not the plan.

* * *

 

              Jeff slept restlessly. It seemed like he woke up at least once every hour. He just couldn’t seem to stay asleep. Beside him, Annie hardly seemed to stir. She was out cold. More than once he found himself leaning over her to check her breathing, just to be sure.

              He opened his eyes to see soft light pouring in through the blinds of his bedroom window. It was early. He gently extended his arm underneath the sheets, searching, but found Annie’s side of the bed empty. He rolled over and looked around. She wasn’t in the room. He was just sitting up to get a better look when he heard the sound of gagging coming from behind the closed bathroom door.

              He crossed the room and knocked gently on the door before peeking inside. “Annie?” She was kneeling on the bathroom floor with her head positioned over the toilet. Her hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail, held in place by her right hand.

              She looked up when Jeff opened the door and groaned, her voice echoing off the tile. “I’m sorry. I’m okay. Go back to sleep.”

              Jeff stood in the doorway of the bathroom for a moment before moving inside and joining her on the floor. He leaned against the wall and reached out for her, gingerly drawing her close so that she was resting against his side.

              “Sorry,” she apologized again.

              “Why?”

              She shrugged.

              He didn’t press. Instead he asked, “How do you feel?”

              She silently traced the tile on floor for a moment before she spoke, keeping her eyes down. “I’m fine now. I just woke up feeling sick. I didn’t think – It was unexpected.”

              Jeff watched her as she nervously traced the lines of grout on the bathroom floor rather than look up at him. “Morning sickness?” he asked gently.

              She nodded. “I think so.” She sighed and leaned back so that her head rested against the wall. “Jeff?”

              “Hm?”

              “Are you going to be mad if I tell you that I’m kind of happy? I mean… I meant what I said. Having a baby out of wedlock with over a year left at work was not part of my five-year plan. But… I think I’m okay with that.”

              “No,” Jeff answered immediately. “I’m not mad. Still a little confused, but not mad.”

              “Confused about what?”

              Jeff hesitated. He was confused about a lot of things. How to feel for one. And how to proceed from here. This was feeling like a very strange dream to him right now. He couldn’t quite get his head around it. Whenever he tried, his thoughts would turn to static again. It was all just so overwhelming.

              “We can do this, right?” Annie asked, drawing him out of his spiraling thoughts. “We can make this work.”

              Before Jeff could respond, Annie was lunging for the toilet again.

              “You should go,” she said into the toilet bowl before she retched, her body tensing as she threw up.

              Jeff shifted to his knees and reached out to her, gathering her long brown hair into his hands and holding it back away from her face. “We can make this work.”

* * *

 

              Annie stayed hidden in Jeff’s bedroom while Tyler got ready for school. Jeff wanted to keep Tyler in the dark about the news for as long as he could and Annie’s presence would only raise questions. Jeff tried to play it as cool as possible, but he was sure Tyler saw through it. The kid was alarmingly perceptive, especially when it was most inconvenient. He could feel Tyler’s eyes on him the entire drive to school and he knew there would be no escaping the questions later.

              He returned home after dropping Tyler off and found Annie already dressed and waiting for him on the couch. She looked up as he entered the apartment. “You’re not going to work?” she asked.

              Jeff shot her a look before sitting down heavily next to her on the couch, looking exhausted.

              She nodded. “Fair point.”

              Jeff leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He had hardly slept at all last night. He supposed that would be his new normal in about nine months. His eyes sprung open at the thought and he sat forward with his face in his hands. The numbness that had been protecting him was suddenly gone and full on panic had replaced it. Annie was pregnant. He was forty-three and his twenty-six-year-old fiancé was pregnant.

              “My flight leaves in two hours,” Annie said suddenly, breaking the silence in the room and pulling Jeff out of the mental tailspin he was in. “I booked a ticket while you were gone. I need to get back.”

              “Right.” Jeff took a deep breath, attempting to re-center himself, and stood up, offering Annie his hand. “We should probably get going then.”

              Annie looked up at him. “I wasn’t – You don’t have to drive me. I can take an Uber.”

              Jeff rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand, hauling her to her feet. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he muttered, turning to head for the door, her hand still clasped tightly in his. “I always drive you to the airport.”

* * *

 

              Jeff and Annie stood silently on the curb outside the departures zone of the airport. They were unfortunately very familiar with this spot. Annie visited as often as she could, but being an FBI agent was a demanding job. Her free time was few and far between.

              Annie looked around like she was lost. She had no suitcase to hold and it was throwing her off. In her haste to get to Colorado, she hadn’t packed a bag. She had borrowed one of Jeff’s button-ups to wear on the trip back.

              “I’m sorry,” Annie said, still looking lost.

              “For what?”

              She gestured at herself. “I know this is… Not what you had in mind.”

              “Why are you sorry? I thought you were happy.”

              She shifted uncomfortably. “But you’re not,” she said, speaking to the sidewalk.

              Well, that wasn’t what he wanted. “Don’t be sorry.” Jeff took both of her hands in his and squeezed. “Just because I’m not there yet doesn’t mean that you can’t be happy. It’s just a lot to think about.”

              He watched her shoulders relax as the tension left her body. He had said the magic words. She looked up at him, the beginnings of hopeful excitement glimmering behind her pale blue eyes. “I know,” she said. “This is crazy.”

              “It’s insane,” Jeff agreed.

              “I called my doctor as soon as the first test was positive. I have an appointment on Friday. I’ll keep you updated.”

              “What time?” Jeff asked.

              Annie furrowed her brow. “What time what?”

              “What time is your appointment? I’ll be there.”

              “You want to come to Washington? To go to the doctor with me?”

              Jeff shrugged. “Well, yeah.”

              Annie’s right hand flew to her mouth as tears began to pool in her eyes. She kept her left hand in Jeff’s, squeezing tightly.

              Jeff’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Are you – Are you crying?”

              Annie nodded silently, her hand still pressed against her lips.

              “Why? What’s wrong?”

              “I don’t know!” Annie sobbed, leaning forward so that her forehead was pressed against his chest, her tears wetting the front of his shirt.

              Jeff bewilderedly wrapped his free arm around her, stroking her hair in an attempt to comfort her. “Um…”

              “I’m okay,” she said into his shirt. “I just need a second.”

              A few moments later she stood up straight, wiping her tears away with the pads of her fingers. She seemed calmer, but Jeff still looked concerned. “You sure you’re okay?” he asked.

              She nodded and gave him a sheepish smile before reaching into her pocket for her phone. She checked the time and sighed. “Sorry to cry all over you and then dash, but I have to go.”

              Jeff patted the damp spot she had left on his chest. “It’s alright. Wouldn’t want you to miss your plane.” He stepped forward to give her one last hug. “See you on Friday,” he said, eyeing her warily, half expecting the waterworks to start again.

              She smiled and stood on tip toes to kiss him once on the lips. “See you on Friday,” she repeated.


	2. Chapter 2

              It was early on Friday morning. Jeff was sitting with his knees right up against the hard plastic of the seat in front of him. Airplanes were not meant for anyone over six feet. He hated flying. He’d never been on a plane until a year and a half ago when Annie had graduated from the academy. Ever since then he’d tried his hardest to avoid this particular mode of transport. Airplanes were just too small and cramped and packed with way too many people.

              The plane began its descent and Jeff closed his eyes, leaning back in his seat. And okay, maybe he had issues with flying that weren’t entirely dependent on the size of the plane. The plane shuttered slightly and he clenched his teeth. People who enjoyed air travel were nuts.

              Before long the pilot was announcing that they had landed at the Reagan National Airport. “Welcome to Washington, DC,” he announced over the intercom. A small smattering of applause broke out and Jeff rolled his eyes.

              He got off the plane as quickly as the other passengers would allow, checking his watch impatiently every time someone in front of him stopped to get their luggage out of overhead storage or let another slow-moving person out in front of them. Finally, he was free and he could take what felt like his first real breath in over an hour. He shifted his carry-on so that it rested more comfortably on his shoulder and headed for the exit, skipping past baggage claim altogether. He was only staying one night.

              It was raining outside as Jeff flagged down a cab. The weather seemed fitting. Annie had wanted to pick him up, but she was already taking a half day for this doctor’s appointment. She had started to say something about having to be more selective with her leave now that she needed to save up her sick time but Jeff had come down with a case of brain fuzz again and had tuned it out. He couldn’t think about that right now. One day at a time.

              When he got to Annie’s apartment he let himself in with the key he rarely ever used. She’d had it made for him when she’d first moved here, but he didn’t visit her nearly as often as she visited him. The single dad thing made it hard to get away. And there was also the flying issue.

              Her apartment was small, but nice. It was two bedrooms technically, but Jeff always said they were more like closets. One bathroom, an open area where her couch, TV, and dining table were set up, and the tiniest kitchen one could have and it still remain mostly functional. When the two of them tried to cook together they were practically shoulder to shoulder. The resulting arguments were fit for cable TV.

              Jeff dropped his bag in Annie’s bedroom and flopped onto the couch. If he had his head on the arm and stretched out to full height, his feet hung off the other end. Annie’s appointment wasn’t until 2:00, so he had a couple hours until she would be back. She was going to swing by here to pick him up on the way to the doctor’s office. He closed his eyes and let the sound of the rain gently drumming against the roof relax him in the hopes of getting some sleep. All week sleep had continued to evade him, and attempting to rest on the plane had been laughable at best. He was exhausted.

              Two hours later he woke up to Annie leaning over him. “Jeez!” he gasped, sitting up with a start.

              “Sorry,” she laughed as he placed his hand over his heart to make sure it was still beating.

              He sat on the couch and watched Annie as she flitted around the apartment, putting away her work things. “Let me change clothes and then we can go,” she said excitedly. She already had her blazer off as she dashed into the bedroom.

              He wished that her enthusiasm was contagious. She was handling all of this so much better than he was. He briefly wondered if this was an age thing, but as soon as he’d thought it he dismissed it. That was just Annie being Annie. She was a different breed.

              “Ready!” she announced, stepping out of her room now wearing jeans and Jeff’s button down that she had borrowed from him on Monday. “What about you?”

              He pushed a smile onto his face and stood up. “Ready,” he lied.

* * *

 

              The waiting room was half full and he was the only man present, making it fairly obvious to everyone in attendance why Annie was at the doctor today. The women around him all seemed to be flipping through the magazines that had been left out on the tables for patients to read. Jeff kept his eyes on his phone. All the magazines were about parenting and kids and he was already nervous enough as it was.

              A nurse in a set of magenta scrubs stepped into the room. “Edison?” she called.

              Annie and Jeff both jumped. Maybe Annie was more nervous than she was letting on. This was all new to her too, after all. The thought calmed him down considerably.

              They both got up and made their way back to the patient rooms. The nurse asked Annie a couple of questions and then handed her a cup.

              “We just need a urine sample,” the woman explained and pointed Annie in the direction of the bathroom. “We do our own pregnancy test, just to be sure.”

              Jeff stood awkwardly in the hallway, holding on to Annie’s purse and jacket for her while she disappeared into the bathroom.

              When she reappeared, she handed the cup over to the nurse. “I’ll just be a minute,” the nurse said. “You guys can go have a seat if you’d like. We’ll call you back again soon.”

              Annie nodded and headed for the waiting room with Jeff trailing after. Nothing had even happened yet and today was already feeling surreal.

              Neither he nor Annie spoke when they sat back down. He was still holding her purse and jacket. She didn’t ask for them back and he didn’t offer. Carrying her stuff was comforting for some reason. It was mundane and that’s what he needed right now.

              A couple minutes later they were called back and lead into Dr. Williams office. It was a tiny room, just big enough for a desk and three chairs. The walls were plastered with posters of women holding babies and illustrations of fetuses at different stages of development. Jeff felt his heartbeat quicken.

              As he and Annie sat down in the two chairs in front of the desk, the doctor walked in. She was short and blonde and smiling. “Well, congratulations,” she said. “You’re pregnant!”

              Beside him Annie was grinning. Jeff smiled, too, but he was sure it was just a little delayed. He still felt like he was processing. He’d known for a week now but this still felt like he was hearing it for the first time. Pregnant.

              “I just need to ask you about your medical history and all of that. Routine stuff. But first let’s calculate your due date.”

              Due date…

              “Okay,” Annie agreed. She reached out and took Jeff’s hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.

              “Is your cycle fairly regular?” Dr. Williams asked.

              Annie nodded. “Twenty-eight days.”

              “And what was the date of the first day of your last period?”

              “March eleventh.” Annie had come prepared. Of course she had.

              The doctor typed the information into her computer and then turned to them with a smile. “December sixteenth,” she announced.

              Holy shit.

              “Which puts you at almost six weeks along on the dot.”

              _Holy shit._

              Jeff’s brain cut to static again. He was actually getting used to the feeling. The doctor was asking them questions about their family medical history and even though he was answering her, he was retaining none of it. In one ear and out the other.

              Several minutes later the meeting was wrapping up and Dr. Williams was telling Annie about setting up future appointments. “For the first two trimesters you typically have one appointment a month,” she said.

              One a month? He wanted to be with Annie for all of her visits. Flying to DC once a month was going to get expensive.

              “And around the start of the third trimester we move to every two weeks, and then starting at week thirty-six we go to weekly visits until the baby is born.”

              That was a lot of appointments. Only six weeks in and this whole thing was turning out to be a lot more complicated than he thought it would be.

* * *

 

              Jeff spent the car ride back to Annie’s place deep in thought. The rain had cleared enough that he could see the city properly now, but he was paying very little attention to it. He had other things on his mind.

              Annie unlocked her front door and started to ask Jeff about something. Dinner maybe? He wasn’t listening. He was wandering around the apartment, studying the layout like it was the first time he’d ever seen it.

              Annie watched him for a moment before asking, “Something wrong?”

              “No, just thinking,” Jeff answered. He stood in the doorway of the spare closet-bedroom and said, “How would you feel about Tyler and me coming to stay here over the summer?”

              “What?”

              He turned to find her standing behind him, watching him with raised eyebrows. “Tyler will be out of school, and I don’t have to sign up to teach summer courses. We could stay here until school starts back. That way I’m here, you know, for doctor’s appointments and stuff.”

              “You want to move here?”

              Jeff shook his head. “I don’t know what we’re going to do. I don’t want to move, but I want to be here for you. I’m half responsible, after all.”

              “I would actually love that,” Annie said with a relieved smile. “It would be really nice to have you and Tyler here.” She paused. “You know you’re going to have to tell him before you move him out here, though, right?”

              Jeff sighed. That was not a conversation he was prepared for just yet. “I know,” he answered. “Just… Not yet.”

              “I can help you,” Annie offered.

              Jeff nodded silently. It made sense that Annie should be there, but her presence would not make that conversation any easier. He knew his son. Tyler was not going to take the news well.

* * *

 

              That evening, as Jeff was getting ready for bed, he walked into the bathroom to find Annie standing in front of the mirror with her shirt hiked up to just below her bust. She was studying her figure in the mirror, staring intently at her stomach.

              Jeff met her eyes in the mirror and raised his eyebrows. “What’re you doing?” he asked.

              “According to this, at six weeks the baby is the size of a sweet pea,” Annie said, gesturing to a mass of baby books that were stacked in front of her on the counter. The one on top was lying open to what appeared to be a growth chart.

              “How do you already have books?” Jeff asked, reaching for the one on top. “It’s only been a week.”

              “I like to be prepared,” Annie answered, readjusting her top so that it covered her midriff again.

              Jeff flipped through the book and felt his lips curl into his first real smile all week. Annie had already gone through the book with a hi-lighter and there were sticky notes poking out from between the pages where she’d made notes. “You know you won’t have to pass an exam to give birth, right?” he teased. “You don’t have to study.”

              She snatched the book back from him. “I like to be prepared,” she repeated before turning and marching out of the bathroom causing Jeff to laugh.

              By the time he made it back to the bedroom Annie was already asleep. He got into bed next to her, intending to try to get some sleep too, but the book on her bedside table caught his eye. It was the one she had been reading in the bathroom. He hesitated for a moment before reaching over her and grabbing the book. He paused, but Annie didn’t stir. She slept like a log these days. After he was certain she wasn’t going to wake up, he settled back and opened the book.


	3. Chapter 3

              Jeff yawned as he stepped up to his mother’s front porch. He was exhausted, although this time it was partially his own fault. Instead of attempting to sleep he had stayed up until the dead of night secretly looking through Annie’s baby books. Not all of them, of course. She had somehow managed to accumulate a small library’s worth of books in just under a week. She would be the most prepared first-time mom in history if she kept this up, which, come to think of it, was probably her goal.

              Jeff brought his hands to his face and slapped his palms against his cheeks twice in quick succession, an attempt to make himself seem more lively before knocking on the front door. The week was wearing on him.

              Moments later, the door was swinging inward. “Good evening, son!” George greeted happily, smiling at Jeff. Jeff tried not to roll his eyes at his step-father calling him ‘son’.

              “Hey, George,” Jeff said, stepping inside. “How’s the wife?”

              George beamed. “Doing well. She’s in the kitchen making cookies.”

              This time Jeff did roll his eyes. “Does Donna Reed know about you two?”

              George chuckled as he followed Jeff into the house. Jeff intended to go into the kitchen to greet his mother, but one look at the couch had him changing his mind. It wasn’t the most comfortable couch in the world, but right now it seemed like a cloud. He collapsed heavily onto the cushions and leaned back, closing his eyes.

              “Tired?” George questioned.

              “Just a bit,” Jeff muttered. No point in denying it. He’d seen his reflection at airport. He looked like death. Or at the very least, insomnia incarnate.

              “I’ll go get your mother for you,” George said after a short stretch of silence.

              “Mm,” Jeff acknowledged without opening his eyes. He heard George’s retreating footsteps as he headed for the kitchen.

              “Jeff?” His mother’s concerned voice gave him a slight start. He really hadn’t meant to drift off.

              He sat up and forced his eyes open. “Hey, Mom.” His voice came out more gravelly than was ideal and he flinched internally at the sound. That wasn’t going to help his case.

              “Are you okay?”

              “Yup,” he answered, smiling in a way he hoped was convincingly normal.

              She eyed him skeptically. Clearly he had failed.

              “How was Tyler this weekend?” Jeff asked, steering the conversation towards something more distracting. “Hopefully not too much of a handful.”

              “Are we talking about the same kid?” Doreen answered with a smile. “’Handful’ isn’t the word I’d use to describe him.”

              “Lucky you,” Jeff joked.

              “Jeffery!” Doreen reprimanded and Jeff grinned.

              “I kid, I kid. Mostly.” He stood up and stretched. “So, where is the little angel?”

              “He’s in the kitchen. He’s been helping me bake.”

              Jeff froze mid-stretch, a wicked grin spreading across his face. “Has he now?”

              “Don’t tease him!” Doreen said, trying to discourage Jeff from doing exactly what they all knew he was about to do.

              “Mother,” Jeff answered, feigning hurt as he moved in the direction of the kitchen, “It’s like you don’t know me at all.”

              He peeked around the corner to see Tyler standing on tip-toes, tongue out in concentration as he dolloped cookie dough onto a wax paper-lined baking sheet. His blond hair was swept back out of his face and a bright blue apron was tied around his body. Jeff slowly leaned into the kitchen and lifted his phone to take a picture.

              Tyler looked up, the digital shutter sound alerting him to Jeff’s presence. His expression went from surprised to annoyed. “Dad,” he complained. “Stop!”

              “Stop what?” Jeff asked, stepping fully into the kitchen.

              “Stop being you!”

              “As your father, I think I’m allowed to take pictures.”

              “Delete it!”

              Jeff grinned. “I don’t think so. Nice apron, by the way.”

              Tyler looked down at himself and then back up at Jeff angrily. “Grandma made me wear this!”

              “Leave him alone,” Doreen chastised from the sitting room. “Come out here and talk to me.”

              Jeff shot his son one last teasing look while Tyler stuck out his tongue before he ducked out of the kitchen and made his way back into the sitting room where George and Doreen sat waiting for him.

              “The cookies will take a while to bake,” Doreen said, patting the spot beside her on the couch. “Have a seat. Tell me about your trip.”

              He hesitated. He’d woken up considerably now that he was moving around, but he was afraid if he sat back down he might fall asleep.

              George seemed to notice his hesitation. “Or you could go lie down in the guest room, if you want. We’ll let you know when the cookies are done.”

              Jeff didn’t miss the look that Doreen shot at her husband. “I’m okay, George. Really. Tyler and I should probably just get going, if you don’t mind.”

              George smiled kindly at him. “You’re a good liar, Jeff, but not even you can hide how tired you are. You probably shouldn’t drive if you don’t even think you can sit without falling asleep.”

              Jeff sighed. “That obvious, huh?”

              “Not as smooth as you think you are,” George reminded him.

              Jeff gave him a half smile and nodded once before heading in the direction of the guest bedroom. George was right. He was dead on his feet. A nap might do him some good.

              He shut the door behind him and collapsed face first onto the bed, laying at a diagonal so that his shoes hung off the side. His eyes had closed before his head hit the mattress, but before he could fall asleep he heard George’s voice outside the door.

              “Let the man sleep,” George hissed quietly to someone in the hallway. Clearly that person was ignoring his orders because seconds later there was a knock at the bedroom door.

              Jeff groaned into the mattress and pushed himself up so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed. “Come in.”

              The door opened and Doreen peeked inside. “Just checking on you,” she said with a smile. Now he knew where his apparent lack of smoothness had come from. Real subtle, Doreen.

              “Doing just fine, Mom,” Jeff said, attempting to undercut the annoyed tone of his voice with a reassuring smile.

              She stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. “Something is going on with you. Don’t think we haven’t noticed.”

              “I’m fine,” he repeated.

              “So you said.” She sat down beside him and looked at him closely, studying his face.

              Jeff leaned away from her and glanced around uncomfortably. “Um…”

              “You would tell me if something was wrong, right?”

              Jeff looked at her then. Outwardly she looked like she was just having a casual conversation, but behind her eyes he saw her concern. She was just worried about him. If he’d seen Tyler walk in looking the way he had, Jeff would have had his concerns, too. “I would tell you if there was something wrong,” he reassured.

              She narrowed her eyes at him.

              “There’s nothing wrong!” he insisted in half frustration. “I have a lot going on right now, but there’s nothing _wrong_. Promise.”

              She nodded once, seemingly convinced. “Alright. Well, get some sleep.”

              “Yes, ma’am,” he muttered, laying back on the mattress and shutting his eyes.

“Feel free to spend the night if you need to,” Doreen’s voice ghosted from the doorway. She sounded far away. “You know you’re always welcome.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Jeff thought he’d said it out loud but he couldn’t be sure. He was already halfway unconscious.

* * *

 

              Jeff stretched and opened his eyes. He was lying on Doreen’s guestroom bed, fully clothed and on top of the blankets. Outside, birds were chirping. He checked his watch. 8:00am. Clearly they hadn’t woken him when the cookies had finished baking. He would have been annoyed if he didn’t feel so damn rested. That was the best sleep he’d had all week.

              He got up and shuffled to the bathroom to splash some water on his face and run his fingers through his hair. He looked better rested this morning but he definitely looked like someone who had fallen asleep somewhere they hadn’t meant to. He leaned in close to the mirror and made a face. Two nights in a row without his night cream and it was showing.

              Jeff walked into the kitchen and found Doreen, George, and Tyler all sitting around the table together, eating breakfast.

              Tyler looked up and grinned. “Someone call Rick Grimes. It’s the walking dead!”

              “You’re hilarious,” Jeff commented as he took his seat at the table. “And thanks for waking me up for cookies last night.”

              “We tried,” George said, smiling over his coffee. “You wouldn’t budge.”

              “You don’t eat cookies anyway,” Doreen said, sliding a plate of bacon across the table for her son.

              Jeff took a piece off the top, careful to grab the least greasy piece he could find.

              “I’m kidding, mostly,” he said as he took a bite of his bacon. “I needed the sleep more than I needed the carbs. Although I’m not sure this,” he gestured to his face, “is what I would call beauty sleep.”

              “Well, then, it’s a good thing you’ve already got a woman,” Doreen teased causing Tyler to snort into his orange juice.

              “Speaking of which,” George said from across the table. “How is Annie? Did you have a nice visit?”

              Jeff was mid-reach for another piece of bacon when George spoke. His movement stuttered slightly but he recovered quickly. George was smiling at him kindly, clearly believing himself to be rescuing Jeff from further bullying at the hands of his family. He couldn’t know that Jeff would rather have sat through their mockery than stumble his way through an answer to his question. “Annie is fine,” he answered.

              “And your visit?” Doreen prompted. “Did you guys do anything exciting?”

              Jeff held his breath for a moment, forcing calm into his voice. “Can’t say I enjoy flying very much,” he responded, not quite meeting anyone’s eye. “But other than that, it was fine. It’s always nice to see her.”

              “I’m glad you had fun,” Doreen said. When Jeff glanced up at her, she appeared to be genuine. She gave no hint of suspicion. He felt his shoulders relax until she asked, “When will you get to see her again?”

              “Um, well, I’ll be heading back out there in a couple of weeks. Just another weekend trip.” Jeff reached for a third piece of bacon despite not wanting it. It was an easy way to cover his nerves. Someone was bound to notice his lack of eye contact if he didn’t try to cover it up.

              “That’s soon,” George commented. “But I guess it makes sense. You guys have a big day coming up.” Jeff’s eyes shot to George’s face. “Weddings take a lot of planning.”

              Jeff almost laughed out of relief. They kept accidently giving him the perfect out. “Yes, lots of plans to make,” he agreed.

The subject changed and he leaned back in his seat, trying not to fidget. He had so far successfully managed to avoid their suspicions, he just needed to keep it up for a little while longer. He chanced a glance over at Tyler and found the boy watching him carefully, his eyes were guarded. It might have been possible to get past Doreen and George, but Tyler was a different. After almost five years together, flying under his son’s radar was an almost impossible feat. Jeff met his eye and knew they were in for a challenging car ride home. His whole expression read: Busted.

* * *

 

              “So, are we going to talk about it?” Tyler asked as the car doors shut. He wasted no time.

              “Talk about what?” Jeff asked, keeping his eyes down as he buckled his seatbelt.

              “Whatever’s going on with you.”

               Jeff backed the car out of the driveway and paused on the street. “Wave goodbye to Grandma and George,” he instructed, pointing at the couple standing outside the house.

               Tyler rolled his eyes but turned and waved anyway. “Your excuses disappear as soon as we’re on the road.”

              “Driving takes a lot of concentration, you know.”

               Jeff could feel Tyler’s eyes on him as he focused his attention on the road in front of them.

              “Why are you acting so strange?”

              “I’m not,” Jeff lied.

              “I’d say I almost believed you,” Tyler said. “But then I’d be lying, too.”

              Silence stretched between them. Jeff turned up the radio to fill it but Tyler reached out and turned it back down. “I don’t like it when you don’t tell me important stuff.”

             “How do you know it’s important? How do you know I’m not just thinking about grading finals?”

             “Because I know.” Tyler paused. “It’s not fair when you keep stuff from me.”

              Jeff sighed. “Life isn’t fair.”

             “ _I know_ life isn’t fair.”

             Jeff flinched slightly. Of course Tyler knew that. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel before throwing on his turn signal and pulling over to the side of the road. He switched on his hazards and twisted in his seat to face his son.

            “Look, I _will_ tell you, okay? I will. Just not right now.” He held up his hand to stop Tyler’s response before it had even started. “No amount of arguing is going to make it happen any sooner. You’re just going to have to trust me.”

             Tyler sighed and let the anger slip from his face. “You swear?”

             Jeff held up his pinky and waited for Tyler to curl his little finger around it. “Swear.”


	4. Chapter 4

_How are you feeling today?_ Jeff typed out on his phone. He hit send and then laid his phone down on his desk. He leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up, turning his attention to his classroom where fifteen students had their heads down, bent over their test papers. He was required to give a certain number of graded assignments throughout the year and the end of the semester was fast approaching. His students were lacking in grades, so pop quiz it was. He was all about minimal effort on his part. The room was quiet other than the sound of pens scratching against paper and the occasional rustle of a test booklet.

       His phone buzzed loudly against the desk causing a few students to jump but Jeff barely took notice. He picked up the phone and opened his messages. Annie’s response was just a single green-faced emoji.

       Jeff frowned. _Still getting sick?_ he wrote back.

       Moments later she replied: _Good thing I’m not trying to keep this a secret from my co-workers or I’d be doomed. I’m not getting sick every day, but rushing for the bathroom multiple times a week is a pretty dead giveaway._

       Before Jeff could think of response, his phone was vibrating again. _Did you know that at eight weeks the baby is the size of a raspberry?_

       “Mr. Winger?” Garrett’s voice called out from somewhere near the middle of the classroom. “Could you stop texting? It’s very distracting.”

       “The fact that you know that I’m texting means your eyes aren’t on your own paper,” Jeff responded without looking up. He made a show of checking his watch before announcing, “You have ten minutes left in your quiz. I suggest you stop talking and start writing.”

       Jeff turned his attention back to his phone. _I think a collection of cells is a better term for something that small._

_Gee, I can feel the fatherly love all the way from here,_ she replied.

       Jeff felt his lips quirk towards a smile. _Well, evidently my texting is impeding my students’ ability to concentrate. We can discuss my lack of paternal instinct later._

_Texting during class, Mr. Winger? You know better than that. For shame._

       Jeff’s lips pulled into a full smile. _I’ll see you tomorrow, Saint Edison._

_Don’t be late. This appointment is a big one._

_I’ll be sure to have a word with air traffic control about keeping my flight on time._

       Jeff slipped his phone into his pocket before checking his watch again. “And… Time.”

* * *

 

       Jeff and Annie were in the waiting room of Dr. Williams’s office on Friday afternoon. They were there for Annie’s eight-week check-up. Jeff glanced over at his fiancé sitting beside him. Her eyes were focused on the screen of the muted TV across the room, but her fingers were busy fidgeting with the edge of her blouse.

       Jeff reached out and calmly took one of her hands in his. “Nervous?” he asked quietly.

       She looked down at her lap and dropped the hem of her shirt. The fidgeting had been unconscious. “I’m excited, but…”

       “But what?”

       “It’s the first ultrasound. I just want everything to be okay.”

       Jeff gave her hand a squeeze. “Everything will be fine.”

* * *

 

       Annie was lying back on the exam table with her top pulled up, revealing her stomach. The ultrasound technician began to spread a light blue gel over her exposed skin. She flinched slightly at first contact.

       “All good?” Jeff asked quietly.

       She nodded. “Cold.”

       The technician took the probe and poised it over Annie’s abdomen. “Ready?” he asked.

       “Ready,” Annie answered.

       He placed the probe against the gel on her skin and began moving it around, pressing it to different parts of her stomach. A grainy black and white image appeared on the monitor in front of them. The image shifted as the technician searched for something. Moments later he found what he was looking for. The image stopped moving, settling on what looked like the outline of a bean-shaped bubble with a small peanut shape inside.

       “And there’s baby,” the tech said, pointing a gloved finger at the peanut. “It’s not much at this stage. But you can see the head and the little body.”

       Jeff and Annie were silent as the technician moved to the computer, using one hand to manipulate the program, moving and clicking the mouse to take measurements. “Looks like our original estimation was fairly accurate. You’re right around eight weeks.”

       “And everything looks okay?” Annie asked, looking away from the screen.

       “Everything looks completely normal,” he responded with a kind smile. “And I even think…” He moved the probe ever so slightly so that image shifted to the left, giving a slightly different view of the peanut. “There.” He took the computer mouse and pointed the arrow at a small part of the image. “See that little blip? That’s the heartbeat.”

       “Heartbeat…” Jeff repeated out loud. He was expecting a return of the brain static, but found it mysteriously absent. He was too focused on the little shape on the screen that had a beating heart.

       “Yup. You guys are lucky. This early in the pregnancy it’s sometimes hard to see on the ultrasound. It all depends on the position of the fetus and the mother’s uterus. Looks like your little one wants to show off.”

       When Jeff finally tore his eyes away from the monitor, he found Annie staring at him with open mouthed amazement and he was sure his face was an exact mirror of hers.

       The technician pressed some keys and froze the image on the screen, setting down the probe. “Would you like a picture?” he asked, gesturing at the ultrasound. Annie and Jeff nodded in silence. “I’ll get it printed for you. Be right back.” He stood up and left, leaving them alone with the screen.

       Jeff stood up and moved to the monitor, trying to take it all in. It didn’t look like a baby. It didn’t look like anything, really. But it had a heartbeat. He turned back to Annie. “We made that,” he said, reality beginning to sink in.

       “We made that,” she repeated.

* * *

 

       Jeff was antsy the whole car ride home. He was lost in his own head, all nerves and excitement. The shift in outlook was giving him a headrush. This was such a complete 180 from how he had been feeling for weeks that it was almost a high. He couldn’t begin to explain it.

       He looked over at Annie and suddenly the vortex of emotions inside of him was focused in on her. The desire to touch her was almost overwhelming. He didn’t think it was possible to be any more in love with her than he already was, but the universe was all about proving him wrong today.

       He got out of the car with jittery calm and stood beside Annie as she let them into her apartment. As soon as the door had shut behind them, Jeff took her in his arms and kissed her, giving in to the frenzied energy that had been building up inside him. She made a noise of surprise but quickly responded, deepening the kiss and curling her fingers into his hair.

       Without breaking away, Jeff started moving towards the bedroom, walking Annie backwards as they went. His fingers found the hem of her blouse and lifted it upwards. They separated just long enough for him to finish tugging her shirt over her head before she had her mouth back on his. Jeff left the shirt on the ground, cast off and forgotten, as he laid her back across the bed. He straddled her, kneeling upright while she lay beneath him, arms out to her sides, chest rising and falling as she caught her breath. Her long, dark hair was splayed out across the bedspread like a fan. He paused and then very gently placed his hands against her abdomen, brushing his thumbs along her soft, pale skin. Her stomach was still flat, but beneath his hands, Annie was growing a life. And it was amazing.

       There was only one way he could think of to express the depth of how he felt in this moment. He bent to press his lips to hers again, picking up where they had left off.

* * *

 

       On Saturday night, Jeff was at Doreen and George’s house to pick up Tyler after his night with Annie. When he knocked, it was Tyler who answered the door.

       “Hey, Dad,” he greeted.

       Jeff surprised himself by immediately reaching out and pulling Tyler to him, wrapping him in a huge hug. His visit to DC had him feeling uncharacteristically sentimental. Jeff rarely gave in to thinking about the years of his son’s life that he had missed out on, but recent events had made him think and he couldn’t help how suddenly grateful he felt for the woman who had given Tyler life. He would forever be indebted to Elizabeth Clark for giving him his son.

       “Uh…” Tyler stood with his arms to his sides, but after a moment of confusion, he returned the hug, patting Jeff lightly on the back.

       “Hey,” Jeff said quietly. “I love you, yeah?”

       “Uh, yeah. Love you, too.” Tyler stepped away and gave Jeff an odd look. “If you’re going psycho, could you at least give me a ten-minute heads up?”

       Jeff rolled his eyes. “Shut up and accept my love,” he said, pulling Tyler in for another crushing hug.

       When Jeff finally let go, Tyler stepped back and shook his head. “Weirdo,” he muttered, attempting to hide the small smile forming on his lips. He turned away and headed deeper into the house. “I’ll let Grandma know you’re here.”

       Before Jeff crossed the threshold, he pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Annie.

_I’m ready to tell him now._


	5. Chapter 5

      Jeff exhaled nervously. This was the moment he had been dreading ever since Annie had showed up at his apartment four weeks ago. Beside him Annie was smiling excitedly, but Jeff did not share her naiveté. Tyler was not going to take this well.

        He raised his fist and hesitated. It had to be done, but that didn’t make it any easier.

        “Oh, stop worrying,” Annie whispered and reached around him, rapping her fist lightly against Tyler’s bedroom door before Jeff could stop her.

        When Tyler opened the door, Jeff tried not to look as worried as he felt. Tyler glanced between the two adults with raised eyebrows. “What’s up?” he asked.

        “Can we talk to you?” Jeff asked quickly before he could chicken out. He gestured towards the living room couch behind him.

        Tyler’s eyebrows crept further towards his hairline, but he followed Jeff’s direction and went to take a seat on the couch. Annie and Jeff followed him, sitting so that they were swiveled to face him.

        “What’s up?” Tyler repeated.

        Jeff froze up. He didn’t know how to say it. He had been so worried about the _doing_ that he hadn’t rehearsed the _saying_. “We, uh…”

        “You’re going to be a big brother!” Annie announced, grinning widely.

        Tyler’s eyebrows pulled together in confusion. He looked at Annie for a second before he turned to Jeff for clarification. “Dad?”

        “Annie’s pregnant.”

        There was a beat, and then Tyler’s face went blank. He sat dead-eyed for just a moment before he stood up wordlessly and walked away. Jeff closed his eyes at the sound of the slamming bedroom door.

        “Tyler?” Annie started to stand, but Jeff reached out and stopped her. He put his face in his hands as she lowered herself back onto the couch.

         The happiness that Jeff had started to feel over this past week was suddenly paying its toll. Coming down from that was a hard crash. He thought he had been ready for this but he was wrong. Tyler was not only his child, but was one of the few people in this world that he felt truly connected to. Knowing that he had hurt him was like a physical pain.

         “Jeff?”

          Jeff took a deep breath and stood up. “I’ll go talk to him,” he muttered.

          He knocked lightly on the door before opening it, not waiting for a response. Inside, Tyler was standing over his bed, swinging his pillow so that he was slamming it over and over into his mattress.

        Jeff closed the door behind him and stood to the side, patiently waiting for Tyler to speak first. Finally, the boy stopped, but he didn’t look up. “I thought I got a vote,” he said accusatorily.

       “Not this time, buddy. I’m sorry.”

       He slammed the pillow down on the bed as hard as he could, shaking the bedframe. “This is bullshit!”

       “Hey!”

       “Well it is!”

       Tyler was looking at him now. They stood across the room from each other, the bed between them. Tyler’s shoulders moved up and down in time with his heavy, angry breaths.

       Jeff allowed himself a couple seconds to calm down. He wanted his voice to be even when he spoke. “We’re not doing this on purpose.”

       “Yes, you are,” Tyler shot back angrily.

       “No, we’re not! I can promise you that this was unplanned.” Jeff took a small step towards him. “I’m sorry that you’re upset, but I can’t do anything to change the situation.”

       Tyler stuck out his chin defiantly. “Fine. Go have a real kid. See if I care.”

       “What?”

        Tyler looked away. “Nothing.”

        “You think I’m replacing you?” Jeff asked, taking another step forward. “Tyler, you’re my son. No one is replacing you.”

        When Tyler didn’t respond, Jeff crossed the room so that he was standing right beside him. He reached for him but Tyler stepped away, just out of his reach. Jeff let his hand fall to back to his side with a dull slap. Instead of touching him, Jeff gently said, “Hey, look at me.” Tyler turned his head so that Jeff was in his line of sight. “You are mine just as much as this baby will be.”

       Tyler snorted and looked away again. “No, not just as much.”

       “Yes, just as much. Blood isn’t what makes a family.”

       Jeff could feel the hints of panic begin to blossom in his chest. It felt like he was losing him, like every second his son was getting further and further away.

       “Look,” he said, “When Annie and I get married, Annie will be your step-mother. Is that going to make you love your birth-mom any less?”

        Tyler shifted where he stood. “No,” he grumbled.

        “Then why would Annie and I love you less?” Jeff knelt down so that he was much closer to Tyler’s height. He wanted Tyler to know that he was being sincere. “I can’t tell you how to feel. If you want to be mad, then that’s fine. But I want you to understand that you will always be my son, no matter what. Got it?”

        Tyler turned so that he was looking Jeff right in the eye.

       “Got it… Jeff.”

* * *

 

       Jeff was sitting on the couch in his apartment, arms crossed and feet up. He glanced over at his couch companion. Beside him, Annie was stretched out across the remainder of the couch with her eyes closed, breathing steadily.

       After his disastrous attempt at talking things through with Tyler, he hadn’t known what else to do but leave him alone in his room. When he’d closed Tyler’s bedroom door behind him, Annie had been waiting for him on the couch, very still and pale. One look at her face and he’d known that she’d heard the whole thing. He’d taken up his abandoned seat on the couch in silence and turned on the TV. He needed the distraction. He didn’t want to talk. He just wanted to ignore sharp sting he felt deep in his chest. 

       Jeff turned his attention back to the television where the Gilmore girls were at it again. This was the season where Rory and Lorelai weren’t talking to each other. The lack of their usual witty banter was a constant reminder of hole the other’s absence left in their lives. In this episode Lorelai was in the midst of a breakdown over her sick dog. Only she wasn’t really upset about the dog. She was upset about her daughter, Rory.

       The wound in his chest flared and he sighed. “I know the feel, Lorelai.”

       “Are you watching _Gilmore Girls_?”

       Jeff looked over at Annie. Her eyes were still closed but she was smiling. “I thought you were asleep,” he said.

       “I was, but there are more important things happening. Like you watching _Gilmore Girls_.”

        Jeff turned back to the TV. “Tell anyone and we’re through.”

        Annie opened her eyes and pushed herself up onto her elbow. “Why wouldn’t you want me to tell anyone?” she teased.

        “That’s just what I need in my life,” he answered. “Someone like Ian Duncan knowing that I like a chick show.”

       She finished sitting up with a huge grin on her face. “Hang on. Did you just say ‘like’? Do you _watch_ this show? Like, regularly?”

        “I plead the fifth.”

       “Well, now I’m definitely telling!” Annie grabbed her phone and started miming typing out a message, “’Hey Duncan, do you need blackmail on Jeff? Because, boy howdy, do I have something to tell you!’”

       Jeff finally cracked a smile as he made to grab for her phone. “Don’t you dare!” he said, but she held it up out of his reach and laughed.

       Jeff was still reaching for the phone, using one hand to playfully hold her down, when Tyler stepped out of his room. They all froze.

       Tyler eyed them with raised brows for just a second before he readjusted the backpack he had slung over one shoulder and started moving towards the front door.

       Jeff quickly disentangled himself from Annie and got to his feet. “Where are you going?” he asked.

       “To Troy’s,” Tyler answered, reaching for the door.

       “He’s in LA visiting Abed.”

       Tyler stopped with his hand on the doorknob and sighed. “Fine. Britta’s, then.”

       He just needed space. Jeff kept telling himself that, but it wasn’t making any of this easier. He checked his watch. “It’s late. Why don’t you just stay here tonight?”

       Tyler opened the door anyway. “Tell it to your new kid,” he muttered.

       Jeff didn’t even hesitate. He followed after his son. Tyler might not care anymore, but the feeling was not mutual.

       Downstairs Tyler was sitting alone on the curb, cell phone pressed to his ear.

       “Can I stay with you tonight?” he was asking into the phone. He paused. “No. Can you just come pick me up, please?” He paused again and then put his face in his hand. “Please don’t,” he sighed. “I’ll be waiting outside. Bye.”

       Jeff waited until Tyler had hung up the phone before he sat down on the curb beside him.

       After a long moment, Tyler spoke. “Why are you out here?”

       “I know you’re mad at me, but it’s late and you’re twelve. I’m not letting you sit outside in the dark alone.”

       Tyler scoffed. “Whatever.”

       Jeff sat forward, wrapping his arms around his knees. “You know why I don’t want you out here alone, right?”

       “Because you enjoy invading my privacy?”

       “Because I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to you.”

       Tyler shifted and looked away but didn’t respond. Jeff watched him closely. The fact that Tyler didn’t fight back gave him a small sense of hope. There was a chance for things to be okay between them again.

       “I meant what I said,” Jeff continued, pressing his advantage. “It’s okay that you’re mad at me. I’m not going to pretend to understand what’s going on in your head. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I need you to know that I’m here if you need to talk. About anything. And I want you to know that it’s okay if you need to process for a while. I’m not done processing yet, either. I know this wasn’t part of the plan. I’m sorry the plan is getting changed on you, but this really was an accident. Trust me.”

       Tyler looked like he wanted to respond, but he didn’t. He stared at the ground, pulling at the blades of grass growing through a crack in the concrete until Britta pulled up in her car, screeching to a stop right in front of them.

       “Hey, squirt,” she greeted as she got out and walked around the car to where they sat. She was wearing her fake ‘therapist’ glasses and a wide smile.

       Tyler stood and pulled his backpack up onto his shoulder. “Take those things off or I’m going to Frankie’s instead,” he said as he passed her, climbing into the passenger seat of Britta’s car.

       Britta made a face and took off the glasses, stuffing them into her pocket. She walked over to Jeff, who got up to meet her, brushing off his hands and the seat of his jeans. “Well, he’s a real ball of sunshine tonight,” she commented, glancing at him from over her shoulder. “What’s going on?”

        Jeff shrugged. “He’s mad at me.” Britta raised her eyebrows in curiosity. “Just family stuff,” he said, refusing to elaborate further.

        “Trouble in the Winger abode, huh?” she asked. “Maybe I could talk to him? Get my Freud on. Throw out some therapist vibes –”

       “Please stop while you’re _not_ ahead,” Jeff said. “Don’t throw any vibes and don’t do anything even remotely Freud-like near my kid. If he talks to you then he talks to you. If he doesn’t, oh well.”

       Behind Britta, Tyler wound down the car window. “Can we go now?” he called to her. “I’m not kidding, I’ll call Frankie.”

       Britta twisted her upper body to look at him. “I double dare you,” she called back. “Frankie doesn’t even own a TV. How much fun can she be?”

       “Isn’t your cable still out?” Tyler asked. “What’s the difference?”

       “Ah, but I have cookie dough and scary movies. Frankie has Go-Fish.”

       Tyler sighed and rolled the window back up in resignation.

       Britta turned back to Jeff with a triumphant smile, but Jeff was ready. “No cookie dough, no scary movies.”

       Britta stuck her tongue out at him and started moving towards her car. “Having a kid has made you boring,” she accused.

       “And I was so much fun before,” he called back.

       He stood alone outside his apartment building until Britta’s taillights had long since disappeared.

* * *

 

       “After tonight we can tell our friends.”

       Jeff and Annie had been arguing the whole way to George and Doreen’s house and they had yet to reach a consensus.

       “I’m not so sure that’s the best idea,” Jeff countered as they got out of his car and began to make their way towards the front door.

       “Why not?” she shot back. “There’s no reason not to.”

       “Give me a couple minutes and I’ll come up with a list,” Jeff muttered back, lowering his voice. They had reached the front porch and having his mom and George overhear this conversation wasn’t exactly how he wanted to break the news to them.

       Annie knocked on the door and then stated, “We’re telling Doreen and George before dinner.”

       “What? Why?” Jeff had been hoping to stall. He didn’t like this telling people business. It had left a bad taste in his mouth.

       “Because I know the food is going to make me sick. Either we tell them now or they figure it out on their own.”

       Jeff sighed. Sure, it was probably better to get it out of the way and it would be so much worse if they guessed before they had been told, but he didn’t like having his evening start with stress. He was more of a dump-the-news-then-dash kind of guy. Before he had completely wrapped his head around the idea, he heard footsteps fast approaching from inside the house. He only had a few seconds to arrange his face into a more suitable expression before the door opened wide.

       “Hello!” Doreen greeted happily, stepping back and ushering them in.

       She and Annie hugged and Doreen was immediately quizzing her on her work and the weather in Washington and if they had made any headway with their wedding plans. Jeff stayed out of it. George came in and greeted them too, and the questions started all over again.

       “The food isn’t quite ready yet,” Doreen said. “Can I get you guys anything to drink before dinner? Wine?”

       “No, thank you,” Annie answered immediately.

        “Yes,” Jeff said almost as quickly. Alcohol would be most welcome.

       George went to go pour them glasses and Doreen lead them to the couch. “Well, sit down, sit down.”

       “How long are you in town this time, Annie?” Doreen asked as they took their seats around the coffee table.

       “Just for the weekend,” Annie answered as George returned with three glasses of wine in hand.

       “That’s too bad. We feel like we barely get to see you anymore,” Doreen said, taking her glass from her husband with a smile. “You two have been having such short visits lately.”

       “Yeah, we have,” Annie said with a nod. “We just can’t afford to use up all of our leave right now.”

       Jeff almost choked on his wine. Annie clearly wasted no time. Could she not let him have a drink first?

       “Oh?” Doreen questioned.

       Annie nodded again. “Mmhm. It’s crazy how many days pregnancy can make you miss.”

       There was a beat of silence where both Doreen and George looked confused, and then…

       “Oh!” Doreen shot to her feet with her hands over her mouth. She looked at Jeff for confirmation, eyes wide.

       Jeff nodded as well and pointed his thumb at Annie. “Second grandchild on the way.”

       Doreen was still frozen, but George was not. “Well, congratulations!” he cheered, getting up and pulling Jeff to his feet, clapping him on the back. Annie stood up too and smiled, accepting a hug from him.

       When Annie turned back to Doreen, who had yet to move, she looked concerned. “Doreen…?”

       Jeff shook his head. “Just give her a second.” He leaned in close and whispered, “Three… two… One…”

       Doreen was suddenly talking a million miles a minute, gesturing animatedly as she spoke. “Oh, my God! No wonder the two of you have been so distracted lately! Did you fly all the way out here just to tell us? Is it safe for you to fly? I can’t remember the rules, it’s been so long. Why are you standing? You should sit. You need to rest. Do you need anything? Can I get you anything?”

       Jeff rolled his eyes and the display but Annie was laughing in delight. Jeff pulled her down onto the couch so that they were sitting and leaned over to whisper to her again, “Watch this.”

       He reached across Annie and dug into her purse until his fingers closed over what he was looking for. He sat up and handed the picture to Doreen. “Here.”

       Doreen looked down at the ultrasound photo Jeff was handing her and immediately stopped talking. She sat back down and held the image out in front of her, her mouth slightly open. George got up and moved so that he could see the picture, too.

       “Knew that would shut her up,” Jeff muttered and Annie smacked him on the shoulder. She stood and walked over, joining the pair as they studied the photograph.

       Jeff watched the three of them for a second before sighing and getting up, too. He stood behind his mother, looking over her shoulder at the photo she held.

       “It’s not much,” Jeff commented, leaning over to point at the blurry little peanut the tech had showed them. “But there it is. Eight weeks.”

       “We got to see the heartbeat,” Annie said.

       Doreen looked up at Annie and Jeff and then she was crying and hugging them. It took her about a minute to calm back down.

       “When’s the due date?” George asked when Doreen had finally composed herself.

       “December sixteenth,” Annie answered, and Doreen started crying all and hugging all over again.

       Jeff stepped away, deciding that he’d sit this one out. He took a seat off to the side next to George to watch Annie and Doreen celebrate.

       Jeff glanced over at George, bringing his wine glass to his lips. “Women…” he scoffed jokingly.

       “You’re allowed to be excited, too,” George said.

       “Still… Processing,” Jeff answered.

       George chuckled. “Nervous, huh?”

        “That doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

       “Try not to sweat it too hard,” George said with a smile. “It’ll work out.”

       “Is unending optimism a dominant trait for the Stephenson’s? Or are you and Rich going extinct like redheads?”

       Jeff grinned as George laughed. He had to admit, now that telling was done he did feel better. The secret was out. He settled back on the couch with his drink, and started to feel the tension leave his body. Maybe he was closer to the excitement stage than he thought he was.

       “Is Tyler thrilled?” Doreen asked from across the coffee table and Jeff locked up.

       His eyes flicked to Annie before he hesitantly answered. “Um, no. He didn’t, uh, he didn’t take it so well.”

       Doreen was silent. The whole room was silent and the silence was too loud. Jeff stood up. “He’s not really speaking to me at the moment.” His voice seemed to echo and he tried not to flinch at the noise.

       “He’ll come around,” Doreen assured quietly.

       Jeff nodded and turned to head for the kitchen. He didn’t feel like celebrating anymore.

* * *

 

       Jeff and Annie argued about telling their friends all the way to the airport. The night before had proved to Jeff that telling people wasn’t as magical as Annie seemed to believe it was. It’s not like he and Annie were around their friends much anyway now that everyone was so scattered. Plus, Jeff had planned to move himself and Tyler to DC at the end of the semester, so what was the point in telling them now. They could tell them in a few weeks. Or months. Or the kid’s first birthday. Jeff wasn’t too particular on the when, as long as it wasn’t right now. But Annie had other plans.

       Almost as soon as he was through the front door, his phone vibrated. He assumed it was just Annie letting him know that her plane was boarding. It _was_ Annie, but it wasn’t a message for him. She had sent a message to the Nipple Dippers group text.

_Hey guys! Jeff and I have an announcement._

       “Annie, no.”

       Jeff fumbled with his phone, quickly pulling up her contact info and hitting Call. The phone rang once before it cut to voicemail. His phone was vibrating like crazy as his friends responded to Annie’s initial text. Jeff desperately tried to call her again, but it went straight to voicemail.

       Jeff glanced at the clock. Her flight should be taking off any moment now. She had done this on purpose. She would be out of range for the fallout and she knew it. That conniving little…

       His phone buzzed and there it was. The picture of the ultrasound was out there for the whole group to see.

       His phone went still. All text communication had stopped. He stared at the screen, waiting. His phone lit back up to show an incoming phone call from Shirley.

       He groaned as he picked it up and hit the green button. “Hello?”

       “Excuse me?” Shirley’s voice asked.

       He sighed in annoyance. Typical. “What, Shirley?”

       “Did you just get your girlfriend pregnant?”

       “My _fiancée_ is pregnant,” he corrected. “Yes.”

       “ _Excuse me?_ ”

       Jeff’s phone beeped to inform him of an incoming call. He looked down. It was Britta.

       “I’m getting another call,” he announced. “Good talk.”

       “Jeffery –”

       He hung up on her and switched over to the new call.

       “Hello?”

       Britta’s voice came through the speaker. “Annie is pregnant?” she asked.

       “Yes.”

       “You’re going to be a dad?”

       “I’m already a dad.”

       “You know what I mean,” Britta said, sounding annoyed. “You’re having a baby!”

       “I think Annie will be the one having the baby.”

       “Shut up!”

       Another beep, another incoming call. Abed this time.

       “This has been great and all,” Jeff said. “But I gotta go.” He hung up without waiting for a response, switching to the other line. “Yes, Abed?” he answered.

       “Would you be opposed to Troy and me using your future baby in a movie I’m working on?”

       “Yes,” Jeff said simply before ending the call.

       He had just set down the phone, thinking that maybe it was over, when his phone rang again. This time it was Troy’s name that popped up on the caller ID.

       Jeff picked up the phone. “Hello?”

       It was Abed’s voice on the other end. “I think you should really consider it,” he said, picking up from his previous statement. “I’ll send you the script. There’s no pay, but it will be great exposure.”

       Jeff immediately hung up, not even dignifying Abed with a response. Before his phone could ring again he shut it off and tossed it away. That was enough of that.

* * *

 

       Jeff was attempting to relax on the couch when someone knocked loudly on the door. It was Britta with Tyler in tow.

       “Figured I’d bring the kid back to ya,” Britta announced, stepping into the apartment with Tyler at her side.

       “Appreciate it,” Jeff said. He turned to Tyler and asked, “How was your weekend with Britta? Sick of tofu yet?”

       Tyler shrugged. “Fine,” he mumbled before heading into his bedroom and shutting the door behind him.

       Well, a one-word answer was still an answer, so that was something.

       “I tried calling,” Britta said. “But I couldn’t get through.”

       “Right.” Jeff looked over at where his phone lay abandoned on the couch. “I turned it off. Got sick of the calls.”

       Jeff hesitated before nodding in the direction of Tyler’s door and asking, “Did he say anything? About… Anything?”

       “Not really. He mostly kept to himself. Played with the cats.”

       Jeff made a face. “Ugh. I’m going to have to get that boy a dog. No son of mine is going to be a cat person.”

       It was a joke. Meant as light-hearted banter. But Britta was the worst.

       “Cats are wonderful animals, thank you very much. And I think you should see how you do with a baby before we get you a dog.” She was grinning very knowingly. She’d struck a nerve and she knew it.

       “On that note –” Jeff moved to the door and opened it, gesturing for her to leave but she stayed right where she was.

       “You’re freaking out,” she observed, still smiling.

       “You don’t say!”

       “With good reason, of course,” she allowed. “But you should stop.”

       Jeff rolled his eyes and shut the door. Clearly she was going to overstay her welcome. This is what he got for letting her in. “Loving the sage advice. You know that a slip of paper with a butt-hole logo and Craig’s signature doesn’t _actually_ make you a therapist, right?”

        Britta ignored him. “It seems to me like you’re spending too much energy fighting what’s already happened. You can’t change it, so just accept it. Put your energy towards changing what can be changed.”

       “Gee, thanks. Where’d you learn that?” he mocked.

       Britta shrugged. “Some guy.”

        “From your textbook?”

       “No, from The Vatican. And I think he got it from his AA meetings. The point being, you need to accept what can’t be changed, change what can, and understand what the difference is. Stop worrying about the wrong stuff, like what your friends think,” she gestured towards Jeff’s abandoned phone, “and start worrying about the right stuff.”

       “The right stuff…” Jeff repeated.

       “Whatever that is,” she said with a shrug before she turned to the door to let herself out.


	6. Chapter 6

       Jeff was in his room on Wednesday morning, getting ready for work. He could hear Tyler in the kitchen opening and closing cabinets as he prepared his breakfast. The start of the week had been rough. Tyler was at least speaking to him again, but his attitude towards him had been anything but warm. Jeff was trying to take it one day at a time but it was hard. He missed his son.

       Jeff steeled himself, getting ready to go out into the kitchen and face the day when something suddenly just clicked for him.

       He stepped into the kitchen and went straight up to Tyler. “Let’s get out of here.”

       Tyler looked up at him, the same vaguely annoyed expression on his face that had been there for days. “What?” he asked.

       “Let’s go somewhere. Just the two of us.”

       Tyler rolled his eyes. “Jeff, I have school today.”

       “So do I.”

       Tyler really looked at him then, gauging how serious he was being. “I’ll get in trouble if I don’t go,” he said.

       Jeff felt the corner of his mouth start to turn up. “So will I.”

       “You’re serious?” Tyler asked. “It’s 7:00 in the morning. Where would we go?”

       Jeff cast around for ideas. “Let’s start with breakfast.”

       Tyler looked down at his bowl of cereal, deliberating. “Okay,” he finally agreed, looking back up at Jeff with a muted smile before dumping his uneaten cereal down the drain. “Where?”

       Jeff didn’t have to think. He knew the perfect place.

* * *

 

      “You seriously want to eat here?” Tyler asked, looking up from the sticky, laminated menu he held in his hands.

      “Why not?” Jeff asked, smiling across the table at his breakfast companion.

      They were seated across from each other in the corner booth of a dingy Waffle House just outside of Denver. The restaurant was small, crowded, and loud. Every surface seemed to be wet, sticky, or both. It was everything a Waffle House should be.

      Tyler looked over at the grill behind the counter where the cook staff could be seen throwing hash browns onto the cooktop and a pan of sausage sizzled with grease. He turned back to Jeff. “Gee, can’t imagine why this place doesn’t seem like your kind of food.”

       Jeff smiled and looked down at the menu. This place really was a nightmare. This was where healthy food came to die. But today wasn’t about him, not really. He’d add an extra session or two at the gym to make up for it.

       He ordered eggs and bacon and ate the whole thing, pretending the whole way through that he couldn’t feel his arteries clogging as he chewed.

* * *

 

      “What now?” Tyler asked as they finished paying at the register.

      “A movie?” Jeff suggested.

      Tyler checked the time and then looked at Jeff. “Alright, fine. What movie?”

      “You pick. I picked breakfast.”

* * *

 

       Jeff and Tyler went to go see _Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2_. It was the earliest matinee the theater offered and they were the only ones in the theater. Despite having just eaten breakfast, they loaded up on popcorn and candy. If you were going to have a cheat day, you might as well go all out.

      After the movie they drove around, eventually winding up at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. They had never been. Tyler went straight for the dinosaurs and Jeff pretended not to think that was funny. Tyler liked to act like he was a grown up, but he really was still a kid.

      The museum had been their educational excursion. Jeff had to do something to make up for the lack of schooling Tyler would receive today. But after they were done there, it was back to brain melting.

      “Time to cash in on that bet,” Jeff said as they got into the car.

      “What bet?” Tyler asked. He was smiling. The frosty tinge to his words had long since melted away.

       “You’ll see.”

       Jeff took them straight to the arcade where he unfortunately had his ass handed to him in almost every game that he thought he was good at. He thought he’d have the advantage since he’d grown up with these games, but Tyler reigned supreme. It wasn’t even fair. He did however, snag a resounding victory in _Ms. Pac-Man_ , so in the end he was able to salvage a small shred of his pride.

      They drove into the mountains as the sun was setting and found the perfect place to park. They laid out across the hood of Jeff’s Lexus as the last light from the sun disappeared behind the horizon and looked up at the stars. Out away from civilization, the stars shone bright. The night was clear and there were easily three times as many stars in the sky than could be seen from the city. It made Jeff feel small. No, that wasn’t quite right. It made the world feel big.

      “How would you feel about going to DC for the summer?” Jeff asked, still looking up at the sky.

       Tyler took a long time answering, but the silence didn’t feel sharp. “Do I really have a choice?”

      Jeff curled his hands into fists, digging his nails into his palms. “You get a choice. We could work something out.”

      Tyler was quiet again.

      “I guess DC wouldn’t be so bad,” he finally said.

      Jeff turned his head in Tyler’s direction. Tyler was still looking up, his eyes tracing the invisible lines that formed Orion’s Belt. “Hey, Dad?”

      “Yeah?”

      “I’m sorry.”

      Jeff turned his gaze back to the heavens. “Me, too.”

      Earlier this week Tyler had felt as far away as the cosmos above them, but today had brought him closer to home. He hadn’t quite returned to Earth yet, but Jeff could be patient.


	7. Chapter 7

       The rest of May went by more quickly than Jeff had been prepared for. The spring semester at Greendale ended a full week and a half before Riverside Middle let out for summer. Without summer courses to prepare for, Jeff found himself home alone for a majority of the day with nothing much to occupy his time. While a wise man would have spent this time packing and preparing to live on an entirely different side of the country for three months, Jeff was an opportunist. He spent his free time lounging on the couch, meaning that the two days right before leaving were spent rushing around like mad, making sure that he and Tyler had everything they needed.

       To Jeff’s dismay, they had decided to fly into Washington rather than take the twenty-five-hour drive to the capital. He didn’t actually need his car because DC had fairly decent public transport, and it was a temporary move so they didn’t have an enormous amount of stuff, so flying made the most sense. But still.

       Annie was there to pick them up when they arrived at DCA. She met them at baggage claim, holding a handmade sign that read: _Welcome to DC, Jeff and Tyler!_ in red, white, and blue puffy paint. Tyler’s face split into a huge grin at first sight. Jeff whispered a heart-felt thank you when he hugged her. He could always count on Annie to make Tyler feel welcome and included.

       He could also count on Annie to go overboard. Always. The sign wasn’t the only thing she had been busy with. When they got back to her apartment she surprised them by revealing that she had decorated Tyler’s room for him. He had a bookcase and curtains that matched his brand-new bedspread and there were even posters on the walls.

       “Annie,” Jeff murmured to her as Tyler admired his new stuff. “You didn’t have to do that.”

       “I know,” she replied with a smile. “But I wanted to. I want him to be comfortable here.”

       “This is too much.”

       “No, the TV I almost got him was too much.”

       Jeff sighed. “Well, at least you have some restraint.”

       “Uh-huh.” Annie was purposefully avoiding his eyes, her bottom lip between her teeth.

       Jeff froze. “What did you do?”

       Annie turned to look at him, feigning innocence. “Who, me?”

       Jeff narrowed his eyes at her, unconvinced. He moved towards her bedroom in search of whatever she was hiding.

       “Remember that you find my overzealousness cute,” she said, grabbing his arm to slow his progress.

       “Do I now?”

       “Remember that you love me?” she tried again.

       “We’ll see about that,” he muttered as he opened the bedroom door.

       “Remember that I am pregnant and hormonal!”

       There were shopping bags everywhere and every single one of them was full of baby clothes. Onesies of various cuts and colors, socks, hats, bibs. You name it, she had bought it.

       “Annie…”

       She smiled guiltily. “It was an accident! I just meant to buy a couple things and I kinda –”

       “Went overboard?” Jeff finished for her.

       “We needed this stuff anyway!” she said defensively, quickly moving into the room and stuffing the bags into the closet and under the bed so that they were mostly out of sight.

       “Shouldn’t we be saving our money? I mean, don’t other people usually buy you all this stuff anyway?”

       “They can still buy us stuff,” Annie argued. “And it’s not like I dipped into my savings for all this. I still have money.”

       “But we have a wedding to pay for, too. Not just a baby.”

       Annie stopped cleaning and looked at him. “You’re worried about the wedding?”

       Jeff furrowed his brow at her. “Well, yeah. We should probably get married _before_ we have a baby.”

       “We should?”

       “Shouldn’t we?”

       They were watching each other from across the room and Jeff realized that they were once again not on the same page when it came to marriage.

       “I never pegged you as a traditionalist,” Annie said.

       “Huh.” Jeff had never pegged himself as that either. Odd that he had given almost no second thought to raising Tyler without a wife, or living with Annie without marrying her, but as soon as there was a baby on the way he needed a ring on his finger for the situation to feel right.

       Jeff leaned against the bedroom doorway, looking at the floor as he thought. “Well, I guess I’d be open for discussion. _But_ in an effort to cover up the pregnancy, I _did_ let my mom and George think we were already in the midst of wedding plans. So.”

       “That’s your reasoning? That you already told your parents that we were planning it?” Annie asked. “That’s kind of flimsy. I mean, wouldn’t it be more responsible to wait? Just take one expensive thing at a time?”

       Jeff shrugged. “Maybe,” he agreed. “I guess I just always imagined that I’d be married to the mother of my children. It’s a hard image to part with.”

       When Jeff looked up at Annie, she was misty eyed.

       “You did that on purpose,” she accused.

       “Did what?”

       “Said something romantic! I told you I’m hormonal! How is that fair?”

       “I’m… Sorry?”

       “Well don’t be!”

       Jeff was very confused. “Then I take it back?”

       “Good!” Annie closed the distance between them and flung her arms around him, burying her face in his chest.

       He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, still confused. “Does this mean that we’re getting married?”

       “Shut up.”

* * *

 

       It truly felt official now. Annie had busted out the wedding binder. Well, binder _s_. Plural. Now that she was actually planning a wedding and not just fantasizing about planning one, the idea book had outgrown a single volume.

       Annie was seated at the table, both scrapbooks open on the table in front of her. Jeff leaned over her shoulder to watch. It looked like she was making a list.

       “What’s a choo-pa?” he asked, reading from her notes.

       “Hup-pah,” she corrected. “It’s like a canopy. You stand under it during the ceremony. It’s traditional at Jewish weddings.”

       “Annie, I’m not Jewish,” he reminded her sarcastically.

       He couldn’t see her face but he knew she was rolling her eyes. “I know, but it’s important to me to include a few Jewish traditions. Just go with it.”

       Jeff shot her a skeptical look.

       “Don’t worry,” she said. “I’m not going to make you speak Hebrew or anything.”

       “Thank you.”

       “ _Bevakasha_.”

* * *

 

       Jeff and Tyler were taking turns playing _Overwatch_ , passing the controller back forth between them. It didn’t matter how often Jeff played, he didn’t seem to get any better, much to Tyler’s amusement. Beside them Annie had her phone out and was scrolling down a list of names.

       “What about Nancy for a girl?” she asked.

       Jeff made a face. “No way.”

       “Nadine?”

       The game ended and Jeff’s team had won. No thanks to him, but he’d take it. He handed the controller back to Tyler. “No grandma names,” he said to Annie.

       “Fine, then you come up with some suggestions.”

       Jeff hadn’t been expecting to be put on the spot. “You’re the one with the list.”

       Annie sighed. “What about you, Tyler? Any ideas?”

       Tyler faltered, looking uncomfortable. “Um, I don’t know.” He handed the controller back to Jeff, even though it was his turn, and stood up. “Why are you asking me? It’s your kid. You should choose.”

       He didn’t seem angry. Just uneasy. Without another word he turned to go. Soon after he’d disappeared from view they could hear his door being shut behind him.

       Jeff sighed and shut off the game. One day at a time, he reminded himself. Worry about the right stuff. He glanced over at Annie, expecting her to be wearing an expression similar to his, but instead he found her staring at the spot where Tyler had disappeared, a look of deep concentration on her face.

       “What are you thinking so hard about?” he asked.

       She blinked a few times, still looking lost in thought. “What was Tyler’s mother’s name again? Elizabeth Clark, right?”

       “Yeah,” Jeff answered. “Why?”

       She shook her head and turned back to Jeff with a small smile, face back to normal. “No reason. Just thinking.”

* * *

       Jeff found Annie in the bathroom again. She had her shirt hiked up over her stomach, admiring herself in profile. He watched her a moment before he wolf-whistled, calling attention to himself.

       She turned towards him and grinned, grabbing his wrist and pulling him closer. “Look,” she said, pointing at the mirror.

       He looked at her reflection. “Yes, Annie. It’s called a mirror. We use them to see ourselves.”

       She smacked him sharply on the chest. “Smartass. No, look at my stomach! I’m starting to show!”

       “It’s too early for that, right?”

       “I’m officially in my second trimester! How is that too early? Plus, use your eyes.” She gestured at the mirror. “I thought I was imagining it but I’m not!”

       He looked back her reflection and watched as she smoothed her hand over her abdomen. She was right. It was slight, but there was a definite bump beginning to form between her hips.

       He kept having these odd moments of clarity. Life would be really normal. It would be him, and Annie, and Tyler just doing their thing. They could even be talking about the wedding or baby stuff, but it would all feel so normal. And then he would suddenly remember that _they were going to have a baby_. And this was one of those moments.

       He placed his hand on top of Annie’s where it still rested against her stomach and looked up, eyes meeting hers in their reflection.

       “This is crazy,” he said.

       “It’s insane,” she agreed.

* * *

 

        Jeff and Annie sat together at the table, a rough guest list between them. Somehow Jeff had ended up with more people on his side of the list and that didn’t seem quite right. George had a fairly big family, but Jeff wasn’t inviting all of them. The Stephenson’s could just deal.

       Jeff was comparing his side to Annie’s when he noticed a discrepancy. “Wait, what about your parents?”

       Annie took the list back. “No.”

       “But, what about –”

       “No!” she said louder. She wanted that to be the end of it, but Jeff didn’t.

       “Annie –”

       “This isn’t a discussion,” she said in frustration. “I don’t want them there. I’d like to actually enjoy my own wedding.”

       Jeff’s gut squirmed. He had experience with the parent issue. He knew how he’d felt at twenty-six and how he felt now. He didn’t want Annie to end up regretting anything. “But they’re your parents,” he said.

       “What about you?” Annie shot back. “What about your dad? I didn’t see him on your list.”

       Jeff hesitated.

       “See? It’s not that easy. You wouldn’t want me to push you, so don’t push me. I already made my decision. Your turn.”

       “Yes.”

       “What?”

       “Yes, invite my dad.”

       Annie looked taken aback. “If you’re just trying to prove a point –”

       “I want him there,” Jeff said and he wasn’t lying. He had issues with William, there was no point in pretending he didn’t, but that didn’t change his answer. “Willy too, obviously. He’s my father. He sucks and he probably won’t come, but I’d like to invite him anyway.”

       “Why?” Annie asked.

       Jeff shrugged. “Because I am who I am because of him, for better or worse. And it’s a little selfish, but I want him to see me happy.”

       Annie nodded in understanding. “I get that.” She stood up, heading for the bedroom. “You can put Anthony down for me, but no one else.”


	8. Chapter 8

              A knock at the door pulled Jeff’s attention away from his phone. He and Tyler were seated together on the couch, Jeff on Facebook, Tyler playing _Overwatch_. Jeff looked up at the door and then over at Tyler who quickly brought one finger up to rest against his nose.

              “I’m busy,” he said.

              Jeff sighed and got to his feet, purposefully walking in front of the TV screen so that Tyler had to shift to the side to peer around him.

              Jeff didn’t have to look through the peep hole to know who it was. On the other side of the door someone was loudly announcing, “The bridal party is here!”

              “You know bridal party doesn’t actually _mean_ party, right?” Jeff said as he opened the door.

              “I know, nimrod,” Britta said, stepping inside without being invited.

              Behind her, Frankie and Shirley followed her lead. They were all here to see Annie. Today was wedding dress day.

              “Britta! Frankie! Shirley!” Tyler shouted from the couch. He tossed his controller to the side and jumped to his feet, launching himself at Shirley first.

              Shirley smiled widely and wrapped her arms around Tyler. Jeff did the dad thing and stood off to the side, fighting a losing battle as he tried not to smile. Tyler had spent two years halfway living with the Bennetts. He had spent his afternoons with Andre and the Bennett kids while Jeff was in class or at work. They’d also spent many an evening in their company for family dinners and pool parties. Shirley and her family had moved away to be with Shirley’s ailing father a few years ago, so lately the visits had been few and far between. It was nice to see Shirley and Tyler reunited.

              Tyler released Shirley and moved on to Britta and Frankie, giving them hugs as well. As soon as Tyler had moved away, Shirley turned her attention to Jeff, her expression stern.

              “I need to have a word with you,” she said.

              Jeff groaned inwardly. He had sort of been dodging her calls since Annie’s surprise announcement. He’d been dodging pretty much everyone’s calls. “Now is not the time, Shirley,” Jeff replied with a tight, polite smile. “I have guests.”

              “Uh-huh. Well, I am the guest and I say we need to talk.”

              “Um.” Frankie looked back and forth between them for a second before quickly turning her attention to the back of the apartment and calling out, “Annie, you can come out here now!”

              “Yeah, get your butt out here!” Britta called loudly.

              Moments later, Annie emerged from the bedroom. Her appearance was met with squeals. They were hugging her and excitedly placing their hands against her growing belly, talking loudly. Now that Annie had started to show, it was like she got bigger every day. She could still hide her stomach underneath a baggy t-shirt, but at 17 weeks it had become fairly obvious that she was pregnant.

              “How are you feeling?” Shirley asked.

              “Empowered?” Britta threw in. Annie ignored her.

              “I feel fine. My back hurts, but it’s not so bad.”

              “Do you know the sex yet?” Frankie asked.

              “Not yet,” Annie answered with a smile. “About three more weeks, right, Jeff?”

              When Annie addressed him, Jeff froze like a deer in the headlights. He had been quietly trying to back out of the room, intent on shutting himself away in the bedroom until they were gone. “Uh, right.”

              Was that really just three weeks away? He knew their next ultrasound was at week twenty and he knew that around twenty weeks was when most people found out the sex, but it’s like he hadn’t put two and two together. For the first time in a long time he felt the brain fuzz start to creep in and he wasn’t exactly sure why.

              He made eye contact with Shirley. She must have seen something in his face because she was giving him the strangest look. “You okay, Jeff?” she asked perceptively.

              He shook it off. “Yup. Shouldn’t you guys get going? Don’t you have an appointment to keep?”

              “Oh! Right,” Annie said, grabbing her purse. “See you later!”

              “Have fun!” Jeff waved them off before disappearing into the bedroom. He needed to lie down.

* * *

 

              Jeff’s phone buzzed beside him, but he ignored it. College football was around the corner and _SportsCenter_ was talking preseason rankings. TV was far more distracting than his phone was at this very moment. Unrestricted internet access tended to lead him down rabbit holes these days.

              When it vibrated a second time he sighed and gave in. Weak-willed as always. He had two texts from Britta. The first one just said: _Jeff!_ The second one said: _Wait until you see her dress! Your eyes are going to bug!_

              Seconds later another text popped up below hers. It was from Annie. _Britta! Stop it!_

_… Whoops_. Came Britta’s response.

              Moments later Chang chimed in. _This is the group message, genius._

_Britta’d it_. Troy said.

_How do you even function?_ Elroy texted back.

              Jeff laughed out loud. Okay, this was way more entertaining than football.

* * *

 

              A few hours later, the front door opened and the four women poured in. Annie had a black garment bag draped over one arm and a smile on her face.

              “Oh,” Jeff said, taking them all in. “Didn’t know you were coming back here.”

              “Well,” Britta said. “We would go out, but Annie can’t drink and Shirley _doesn’t_ drink, so it would just be me and Frankie drinking which is _basically_ just me drinking. And if they wanted to watch me get drunk alone they would just visit me at work.”

              “We’re going to keep doing the girl thing, but we’re going to do it here,” Frankie translated.

              “Right,” Jeff said, getting to his feet. “So make myself scarce. Message received.”

              He started to head towards the back of the apartment to check on Tyler and see if he wanted to go catch a movie or something.

              “You don’t have to do that,” Annie said.

              “Yeah, come hang out with us,” Britta called, having already made herself at home on the couch.

              “Not sure I’d be too good at ‘the girl thing’,” Jeff quoted.

              “Sure you will,” Shirley said, taking the garment bag from Annie. “Let’s start by helping Annie hang up her dress while she gets off her feet.”

              Jeff narrowed his eyes at her. One thing she and Britta had in common was a complete lack of subtlety.

              “Fine,” he agreed. He turned to lead the way towards the bedroom. “Whatever you say.”

              Jeff stepped into the bedroom and pointed at the closet. “Closet’s right there,” he said. “Need instructions on how to use it?”

             “Jeff –”

             “Open closet. Lift dress. Prepare to hang it –”

             “Jeffery!”

             “What?”

             “How are you?”

             Jeff blinked at her. “… What?”

             “How are you doing?” she rephrased.

             “I don’t understand.”

             “Well, I _was_ going to berate you for getting your fiancée pregnant out of wedlock, even though I know you didn’t do it on purpose, but now I’m asking how you are because I can tell something is wrong.”

             “Nothing’s wrong,” Jeff denied with an air of dismissal.

             Shirley pursed her lips at him, giving him a knowing look and he folded. He sat down on the edge of the bed in defeat.

             After a moment he started talking. “I keep getting excited, I keep _wanting_ to get excited, but then I remember that I’m not good with babies. They make me uncomfortable.” He gestured at Shirley, “I couldn’t even hold Ben until he was almost five. Five years is a long time to be awkward around your own spawn.”

             Shirley took a seat beside him. “It will be different when the baby is yours.”

              “And what if it’s not?” he said. “I wasn’t ready for this. I didn’t have time to wrap my head around the idea _first_. It just happened. And all the books say ‘you have nine months to prepare’ but we’re about to start month four and let me tell you I have not had time to prepare. Not mentally. It’s one thing after another. It was getting used to the idea enough to tell people, and then it was fighting with Tyler, and then it was moving to DC. Now it’s planning for a wedding and slowly realizing that I’m going to have to relocate my whole life here, that thinking this was just for the summer was really short-sighted, and all the while there are doctor’s appointments and names to pick and December is not getting any further away.”

              He looked up at her. “Give me some advice,” he said. “Mother hen me.”

              “You’ll pick it up quickly, don’t worry.”

              “That is not good advice.”

              She laughed. “It’s a lot to deal with. Believe me, I know. But you’ll be fine, you’ll see. You weren’t good with kids until Tyler came along. Now look at you. You’re a great father. And take it from a mother of three, babies are way easier than preteens.”

              “If lying is your way to punish me then you’re playing the long game and I respect that.”

              “I didn’t mean that it wouldn’t be hard,” she said. “I guess I should have said that babies are simpler. They only really need four things. Sleep, food, their diapers changed, and attention. It’s an easy puzzle to solve. Preteens are 1,000-piece puzzles with no picture to go off of. If you can figure Tyler out, a baby is nothing. You’re solving an easy puzzle, only you’re doing it on three hours of sleep.”

              “Yay.”

              “If this had happened five years ago, I would have told you that I was taking that baby away from you. For the child’s sake. But now that I’ve seen you with Annie and Tyler, I have no doubts that you can do this.” She gently nudged her shoulder against his. “Now let’s go have a party. Your bride-to-be found her dress today.”

* * *

 

              “Annie, move!” Britta complained loudly. “You’re taking up the whole couch.”

              Jeff was seated at one end of the couch and Annie’s head was at the other. As soon as Britta had gotten up to pee Annie had seized the opportunity for a quick nap. She napped a lot these days. Frankie and Shirley had pulled up chairs so that they were all seated around the TV. It was on, but they weren’t watching anything. They were too busy talking. Evidently there was a lot of catching up to do.

              “There’s plenty of room on the floor,” Jeff noted.

              Britta made a face. “What? No, she can move.”

              “Are you incubating a human?” Jeff shot back. “No? Then you can sit on the floor.”

              Britta made another face and sat down on the rug.

              “The human incubator can hear you,” Annie said, her voice vaguely muffled by the couch. “And she objects to being referred to as that.”

              “Sorry,” Jeff apologized.

              Annie pushed her bare feet into Jeff’s lap and wiggled her toes at him. “As penitence,” she said with a smile. Jeff rolled his eyes but started to knead his thumbs into the soles of her feet anyway.

              From the floor Britta made a loud whip sound, complete with arm motion.

              “Have you decided on any baby names?” Frankie asked. “I assume that’s an appropriate question to ask.”

              “That’s an ongoing argument,” Jeff said, still massaging Annie’s feet. “She doesn’t like my top picks.”

              “Well?” Shirley prompted.

              “Grace for a girl –”

              “That one’s nice,” Shirley interrupted.

              “– And Sebastian for a boy.”

              “ _Sebastian_?” They all echoed back, their voices a mix of surprise and disapproval.

              “It grows on you!” Jeff shot back defensively.

              “Maybe Annie picks the name,” Britta said with a teasing smile.

              “For the child’s sake,” Shirley added. Jeff sighed but returned Shirley’s smile, sharing their own private joke.


	9. Chapter 9

       Jeff and Annie once again found themselves at the doctor’s office with Annie lounging back and blue gel spread thickly across her stomach. Twenty weeks had seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.

       “Alright,” the ultrasound technician said as he prepared the monitor and probe. “I gotta ask before we get started: Do you want to know the sex?”

       “Yes,” Jeff and Annie answered together.

       The tech smiled. “Perfect. Here we go.”

       Same as before, he pressed the probe against the gel on Annie’s skin and the grainy black and white image appeared on the screen, and same as before the image shifted as the technician searched. Only this time it didn’t look quite the same. All the black, hollow spaces from before were full of blurry white shapes. After a couple seconds Jeff realized that those shapes were discernible features. That had definitely been a foot he just saw.

       The image settled on a profile view. The little peanut shape was long gone. The image on the screen was very clearly a human baby. With a head and a body and a little beating heart. After a couple seconds Jeff realized that he had forgotten to take a breath. He started to breathe in but the then the image moved, not because the probe had moved but because the baby had. It was stretching. He forgot to breathe again.

       “See the head there?” the tech pointed out. “And you can see the spine here.” He ran his gloved finger down the curved spine. The baby was curled up, its knees tucked up to its chest, hands in front of its face. The mental static was imminent.

       “I’m going to take some measurements,” the tech announced.

       Jeff glanced over at Annie and she was crying. She was staring wide-eyed at the monitor, her cheeks wet with tears. Annie’s reaction seemed to be chasing away the brain fuzz. It was both calming and awe-inspiring. Maybe for right now, Annie could be the stable one for both of them.

       “Now I’m going to listen to the heartbeat.”

       “Can we hear?” Jeff asked, still looking at Annie. He knew she would want to hear, but she seemed incapable of asking.

       “Yes, you’ll be able to hear,” he responded.

       A loud, strange thumping sounded from near the monitor. The thudding in Jeff’s chest was almost as loud as the sound coming from the speakers. Annie’s eyes cut to his and she was speechless. She was so excited for this baby and here it was, being shown to them. It was feeling very real for both of them. Even with all the preparation and the growing belly, it was easy to keep going through the motions, to get caught up with life and forget that this was real. They were having a baby.

      “Alright,” the tech said again. “Ready for the reveal?”

       He moved the probe around until he had only had the baby’s bottom and legs on screen. He froze the image and then took the mouse and pointed it between the legs. A little blinking text cursor appeared above it.

       “Close your eyes,” he instructed, and Jeff obeyed. He heard the key strokes as the tech typed. “Open them.”

       Jeff opened his eyes. The text above the image read: _IT’S A GIRL!_

       He realized that he had been smiling before he’d even opened his eyes. A girl. No longer an ‘it’, but a ‘she’, a ‘her’.

       He turned to Annie, anxious to see her reaction. A strange look flickered across her face but then it was gone, replaced with a smile. The look derailed him for a moment. It had disappeared so quickly and her smile was so genuine that he thought he might have imagined it.

       Annie turned to him, an enormous smile on her face, cheeks still damp, and said, “We’re not calling her Grace.”

       Jeff laughed and in that moment of happiness, the look was forgotten.

* * *

 

       That night for dinner, Jeff, Annie, and Tyler sat down to a meal of hamburgers, French fries, and, at Jeff’s insistence, salad. The conversation was completely normal, talking about TV shows and Annie’s day at work, but back and forth across the table, Jeff and Annie were having a totally different and completely silent conversation.

       Annie wanted to tell Tyler about the ultrasound and Jeff didn’t want a repeat of the last time. Annie won out, though. She had been trying very hard to make Tyler feel included in all this. So far, he had seemed less than interested. He had no desire to talk about the baby or the wedding. He wasn’t surly or frustrated, he was just detached from it. An outside observer. Along for the ride.

       “Tyler,” Jeff began, wishing that Annie was a less formidable opponent. “We went to the doctor again today and had another ultrasound done. We know the sex of the baby now.”

       “Uh-huh,” Tyler said, paying more attention to his fries than his father.

       “It’s a girl,” Annie said. “And I think I have the perfect name for her.”

       Jeff looked at her in confusion. All he remembered her saying was ‘not Grace’. They hadn’t discussed any names.

       “I think I’d like to call her Elizabeth, if you’re okay with that.”

       Jeff almost dropped his fork. _What was she doing?_ He cut his eyes to Tyler, sure that he would see the same dead-eyed fury that he had witnessed before, but that Tyler was long gone.

       Tyler was staring at Annie with his mouth slightly open, blue eyes sparkling. To say he looked surprised was an understatement and touched was inadequate. Jeff had been worried that Annie had said the wrong thing, but it was clear from Tyler’s face that she had said the right thing. The perfect thing.

       “What?” he asked, his voice soft.

       “With your blessing, I’d like to name her Elizabeth,” Annie repeated.

       He closed his mouth as if he’d just realized that it was hanging open. After a second he nodded, his lips pulling into a small smile.

       Without speaking, Tyler got up from the table and headed for his room. Before he disappeared around the corner, he turned back to them and said, “Purple.”

       Jeff furrowed his brow. He again felt like he was missing something. “Purple?”

       Tyler nodded. “Last week you were talking about what color to paint the baby’s room. I think you should paint it purple.”

       “I think so, too,” Annie said. “Thank you, Tyler.”

       Tyler smiled and finished rounding the corner.

       Jeff waited until he’d heard Tyler’s bedroom door click shut before he turned his attention to Annie, amazed. “How did you do that? How did you _know_ to do that?”

       She shrugged one shoulder. “I had a hunch. It was a gamble, but I think it paid off.”

       “Um, yeah it did.” Jeff shook his head at her, still in disbelief. “How are you so amazing?”

       She grinned across the table at him. “A magician never reveals her secrets.”


	10. Chapter 10

       The wedding was looming closer by the day. At the time it had seemed like a perfectly sensible idea to get married in August. It was right before school started back, it was months before the due date, and Annie wouldn’t be so far along that she’d have trouble finding a dress. But now it seemed like a horrible idea. Two months was not a lot of time to plan a wedding when you were a perfectionist, or when you were engaged to one, apparently.

       Jeff was lounging on the couch one day, letting the world of Sunday night TV entertainment rot his brain. Behind him Annie was seated at the table, pouring over her notebook of wedding plans, her two idea books lying open and ready.

       “Why do you watch this crap?” she grumbled.

       “Please don’t start nagging me about my TV habits,” Jeff said, turning on the couch so that he could see her. “Can’t we at least wait until after the wedding to fulfill that particular stereotype? Legally speaking, I am still a single man until I say ‘I do’. Until then, I will continue to keep up with whoever I like.”

       “Whomever,” Annie corrected without looking up from her work. “And you won’t be saying ‘I do’.”

       Jeff muted the TV. “I won’t?”

       “No.” Annie sighed and got up, crossing to the couch to hand Jeff her notebook. “We won’t really be saying vows. It’s more of a legal formula. But it’s modernized.”

       Jeff took the notebook and looked it over. “Huh.”

       “Is that a problem?” Annie asked, frustration coloring her words.

       Jeff handed the notebook back to her with a shrug. “No. I’ll say whatever you want me to say.”

       “You could stand to show a little more enthusiasm about our wedding,” she snapped.

       “I just meant that it doesn’t matter to me which vows they are, as long as I’m saying them to you.”

       Annie paused for half a second before she burst into tears.

       “Oh, my God,” Jeff said, getting up from the couch to wrap his arms around her.

       “Shut up!” she sobbed into the front of his shirt. “I’m pregnant!”

       “You know, you lose that excuse in about five months,” he muttered into her hair.

       “Then I’d better milk it while I can.”

* * *

 

       “We should probably start looking into a new apartment,” Jeff announced one night as he and Annie were getting into bed.

       Annie gave him a confused look. “I thought you didn’t want to move,” she said.

       “I don’t, but what else are we going to do?” he asked. “You pop out the kid and I take her back to Colorado with me? I’m definitely not going to leave you alone with a newborn. Ideally, we’d all go back together since that’s where our support system is, but our situation now is completely different than the one I imagined when I proposed.”

       “I have friends here,” Annie argued as she climbed into bed beside him. “We’ll have support.”

       “Yeah, but there’s a big difference between work friends that you can ask a favor from every now and then and grandparents who will more than willingly take your kids for a few hours just so you can get a moment to catch your breath.”

       Annie lay back against the pillows, thinking quietly. Finally, she asked. “What about your job?”

       Jeff shrugged. “I’ll think of something.”

       After another silent moment she said, “Okay. But one thing at a time. We have a wedding to get through.”

* * *

 

       The night before the ceremony, Jeff, Annie, and Tyler were lounging on the couch together. Jeff was searching through Netflix, trying to find something to watch, but Tyler was vetoing his every suggestion.

       “You pick then,” Jeff said, tossing the controller into his son’s lap. “I need a snack anyway.”

       He got to his feet and headed into the kitchen for a bag of chips. Annie gave him a questioning look upon his return. “They’re baked,” he justified, sitting down beside her.

       He placed his arm around her shoulders and she snuggled up against his side with a smile. “You know,” she said. “If this were a traditional Jewish wedding, we wouldn’t be allowed to see each other for a week before the wedding.” He tightened his grip on her in response. “We’d also be fasting until the reception.”

       Jeff reached noisily into the bag of chips and placed one in his mouth, letting it crunch loudly between his teeth. “Good thing we’re not traditionalists,” he said.

       A knock sounded from the front door and Annie grinned sheepishly. “About that…”

       Another knock and then the door flew open to reveal the entirety of the Nipple Dippers standing in their doorway. Britta was leading the pack with a key in her hand.

       Jeff shot Annie a frustrated look. “You gave _Britta_ a key to our apartment?” Now they definitely had to move.

       “We’re kidnapping Annie!” Britta announced, as she marched into the room, grabbing Annie by the hand and gently hauling her to her feet. “It’s bad luck to see the bride the night before the wedding. Shirley, get her dress! Frankie, get her bag!” Britta instructed.

       Jeff snatched Annie’s hand before Britta could drag her out of reach. “Blink twice if you need me to rescue you.”

       Annie smiled. “This is fine. It’ll be fun. They warned me ahead of time.”

       “Okay,” he said. He tugged on her hand so that she had to lean forward, bringing her face closer to his. He closed the distance between them and placed a kiss on her lips. “Have fun. Meet you under the _chuppah_.”

       “Meet you at the _bedeken_ ,” she corrected. “For the veiling,” she continued at his confused look. “Do you even listen to me when I talk?”

       He grinned playfully. “Yes. Mostly.”

       Britta, Shirley, and Frankie were impatiently pulling her towards the door. “Don’t be late!” Annie called to him as she was ushered out by her friends.

       That left Elroy, Abed, Troy, Chang, and Dean Pelton standing in the doorway, grinning.

       “And you’re all here because…?”

       “Boys night!” Troy and Abed called in unison before they all swarmed in, crowding onto the couch and shoving Jeff into the middle.

       Tyler grinned happily, forcing himself into the spot between Troy and Abed. Abed took the TV remote from him and started navigating through the Netflix menus.

       “I was going to pick a movie,” Tyler said, reaching to take the controller back.

       Abed held it out of his reach, eyes still on the screen. “I think it’s better that I choose. Winger men have notoriously bad taste in movies.”

       Boys night ended up consisting of a forced viewing of _The Hangover_ and an elaborate D &D campaign that not so subtly involved getting their characters to a church in time for a wedding, which was then ambushed by enemies from the princess’ dark past.

       The night concluded with Tyler, Troy, and Abed staying up to play _Battlefront_ long after the others had crashed.

* * *

 

       In the morning, they all piled into an Uber, much to their driver’s displeasure, and made their way to the venue. They were directed to a room where they could change into their suits and get ready. Jeff was surprised that he didn’t feel more nervous. He remembered how anxious he had been while getting ready on his mother’s wedding day and he felt none of the same nerves. The butterflies in his stomach now were entirely different. A year ago, the idea of marriage was like a ball and chain, now he was more than willing.

       About twenty minutes before the ceremony started, a large group of their male guests showed up to escort Jeff to the veiling ceremony. Half of them were singing loudly in Hebrew. His friends followed along with him, laughing as he made faces. He wasn’t a big fan of this being the center of attention thing. They led him into a room where all the women were congregating, with Annie seated in the center. As soon as the men burst into the room, Annie’s face lit up.

       She was in a sleeveless white dress. It had a satin band that rested just above her stomach and the fabric flowed down loosely to just above her knees. The top part was sheer so that her shoulders and collar bones showed through. A short veil fell down her back, held in place by Pierce’s tiara nested in her long, dark hair. She looked perfect.

       Jeff walked up to her, a wide toothy grin on his face. This was where he was supposed to put her veil over her face so that he would know it was her during the ceremony. The first of many Jewish traditions that he didn’t quite get. He was just reaching to do his part when someone walked up to them.

       “Hello, Annie,” the woman said.

       Annie turned her attention to the woman and Jeff watched as her face fell. “Mom?” she asked.

       Jeff turned around and looked, too. The woman was short and had Annie’s same dark hair. He could see bits of Annie in her features, only they looked more severe.

       “What are you doing here?” Annie asked. She looked shell shocked.

       Behind her a tall, dark headed man shifted, drawing their attention. His hair and beard were long and he carried a very dull expression on his face.

       Annie got to her feet. “Anthony?” she hissed. “You brought Mom? Why would you think that was okay?”

       Anthony shrugged. “The invitation said ‘plus one’.”

       “Plus one didn’t mean her!”

       Her mother looked disappointed. “Really, Annie. I’m not sure why it’s such a big deal.”

       Annie huffed. She looked pissed.

       Jeff quickly stepped in and offered his hand. “Hey, I’m Jeff. It’s nice to meet you, Ms….”

       “Edison,” Annie’s mom supplied. “I kept my married name.”

       “Ms. Edison,” Jeff said, shaking her hand.

       “I must admit, this is a tiny bit unusual,” Ms. Edison said as they shook. “Meeting your daughter’s intended for the first time on the day of her wedding.”

       “I would’ve loved to have met you,” Jeff said through an overly polite smile. “But you never seemed to be around.”

       His meaning didn’t escape her. He saw her jaw tighten for just a moment before she turned back to her daughter. “I see that congratulations are in order,” she noted, her eyes drifting to Annie’s stomach, prominent even beneath the flowing fabric of her wedding dress.

       Annie’s hand fluttered to her stomach instinctively before it dropped to her side, her hand becoming a fist. “Yes,” she replied, her voice tight.

       “Boy or girl?”

       That same look from the doctor’s office ghosted across her face. “A girl,” she answered, the look now gone.

       Her mother nodded once. After a long pause she finally said, “You could have been more than this, you know.”

       This time it was Jeff’s hands that tightened into fists. He felt himself take a slight step forward so that his shoulder was between Annie and her mother. “More than an award-winning student, a college graduate, a top FBI recruit, and an established FBI agent?” Jeff asked. “Be careful. She might turn into a diamond under all that pressure.”

       Ms. Edison shook her hair back. “I wanted her to be a diamond.”

       “I want her to be happy.”

       Ms. Edison looked taken aback for a moment before she collected herself. “I hope today goes well for the two of you. It was nice to see you, Annie.” She turned and left the room, leaving Anthony standing alone.

       “You can stay if you want,” Annie said to him, her voice dull.

       He shrugged. “Might as well. I’m already here.” Anthony didn’t so much smile as pull his lips away from his teeth, creating an odd expression that didn’t meet his eyes, and wandered away into the crowd.

       Before either Jeff or Annie had a chance to say anything to each other, the singing had started up again. It was time for the wedding.

       Jeff turned to Annie and kissed her quickly before reaching behind her and pulling her veil forward over the top of her head so that it covered her face. “Forget about her,” Jeff whispered. “She’s gone. Today is about us.”

       She nodded, a small smile beginning to touch her lips. “I love you,” she said quietly, as their friends swooped in to grab Jeff by the arms and drag him away.

       “Prove it!” he called back across the room.

       Annie’s face broke into a genuine smile as she laughed.

* * *

 

       Jeff walked out first, heading down the aisle towards a large white canopy, the _chuppah_. The _chuppah_ was supported by four poles and each pole was held in place by their friends and Tyler. They stood in a clump of a semi-circle and grinned at him as he walked. He took his place beneath the canopy to wait with the officiant, his heart pounding.

       The music started and his eyes found Annie where she stood at the back of the room, a bouquet of lilacs in her hands. The gathered audience got to their feet as she made her way down the aisle towards him. Beneath her veil, Jeff could see her smiling.

       As she drew close, Jeff stepped out to meet her, taking her hands in his and bringing her underneath the canopy with him. She squeezed his hands gently.

       “Ladies and gentleman, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of Jeffery Winger and Annie Edison,” the officiant began. “Today’s ceremony will be unique because it features a combination of the bride and groom’s faiths.”

       “Or lack thereof,” Shirley muttered under her breath. Jeff resisted the urge to kick her.

       “It will also be, at the groom’s request, short.”

       The crowd laughed and Jeff grinned proudly.

       “In place of the benediction, we will begin with a moment of silence,” the officiant said, before bowing his head.

       Everyone around them followed his lead, but Jeff kept his eyes on Annie. This was surreal, but not in the way he had grown used to. It wasn’t dream-like. It was surreal like when had graduated from Greendale, like when he had proposed. It was something he had wanted so badly and for so long that the reality of it felt strange. He had loved her for longer than he had been able to admit and now they were getting married. Present tense.

       “Now for the exchanging of rings,” the officiant said, breaking the silence.

       Annie raised her head. Her gorgeous blue eyes met his and he almost forgot what to do next. Tyler tugged at his sleeve and handed him a plain golden ring. Right. He took the ring from his son and prepared to slide it onto Annie’s finger. “Um…” He was supposed to have this memorized. Hopefully Annie didn’t kill him. He doubted this venue gave a two for one wedding and funeral discount.

       “Behold…” the officiant prompted.

       “Behold, with this ring, you are made holy to me, for I love you as my soul. You are now my wife,” Jeff said, slipping the ring onto Annie’s slender finger so that it nestled against her knuckle.

       Tyler handed Annie Jeff’s ring and Annie prepared to place it on his finger. “Behold, with this ring, you are made holy to me, for I love you as my soul. You are now my husband.” The band slid into place and Jeff grinned. They were married.

       “Before I officially pronounce you man and wife,” the officiant said. “I believe that there is one more thing on the program for today.”

       Jeff and Annie looked over at him in surprise. They didn’t remember adding anything to the agenda.

       The officiant smiled at them and stepped aside, passing the microphone to Tyler. He took the mic in one hand, in his other he held a large black frame with the glass facing in.

       Tyler smiled nervously at Jeff before clearing his throat and speaking into the mic. “Hello everyone,” he greeted. “I did some research on Jewish wedding traditions and found one called the _ketubah_. What it traditionally is, is a marriage contract. Couples would get it done in calligraphy and have it decorated all nice to display in their home. The more modern version is to do the same thing but with vows instead of a contract. Well, Dad and Annie didn’t do that, so I took the liberty of writing something up for them.” He held up the frame, now with the glass facing out. It was a chunk of text written in black ink, the letters curling into one another in fancy script. Circling the text was a ring of illustrated branches and other intricate drawings. Jeff didn’t have long to look before Tyler was turning it back towards himself, getting ready to read from it.

       Tyler cleared his throat again and began to read. “My father, Jeff Winger, is an obnoxious git.” Tyler paused while the audience laughed, a proud smile creeping onto his face. “He isn’t afraid to let you know how cool he thinks he is. He spends way too long making sure his hair looks like he didn’t just spend an hour on it, and if he spent as much time on his lesson plans as he does in the gym, he would be a brilliant teacher.” Tyler paused again, still smiling, waiting for the laughter to die down.

       “He is also one of the most understanding and caring people I have ever met. He’s a great dad. He has been everything to me over these past five years and I couldn’t even begin to imagine my life without him. Nor would I want to.” Tyler paused, letting the moment sink in before continuing.

       “Annie Edison is a know-it-all.” Tyler grinned again and waited as the audience laughed. “If she can’t do it perfectly the first time, then damn it, she’ll keep trying until she does. Even if she drives you nuts in the process. She’s a sore loser. She has way too much energy to be 100% human and she can make you tired just by watching her exist. But she’ll also never give up on you.

       “I’ve known Annie for almost as long as I’ve known my dad, and in that time Annie has not only gone out of her way to make me feel wanted and loved, but she’s helped me with my homework, driven me to guitar lessons, and filled my room with more books than any twelve-year-old could ever read.

       “From the moment my dad and Annie started dating, everyone knew that they were witnessing something special. Their story is more like a rom-com than your typical love story, but that doesn’t make it any less real. I couldn’t be happier to see them tie the knot.

       “Basically, what I’m trying to say is: Dad and Annie are each their own special kind of annoying, but I love them both despite that. Annie makes my dad incredibly happy and she’s always felt like my step-mother anyway, so I can’t wait to officially welcome her into the family.”

       Tyler lowered the frame and smiled at Jeff. “Now kiss her already,” he instructed.

       The audience cheered and Jeff and Annie swept him into a hug, squishing him between them. Tyler tried to pry his way free before giving in and surrendering to their affections. They were embarrassing him, but Jeff didn’t care.

       When they finally released him, Tyler handed the microphone back to the officiant, his cheeks still red, and stepped to the side, joining the others on the outskirts of the _chuppah_.

       “Well, you heard the boy,” the officiant said with a broad smile. “Go ahead and kiss.”

       Jeff did as he was told. He threw Annie’s veil back and pulled on her hands, tugging her towards him as he stooped to press his lips to hers. When he drew back the audience cheered.

       Someone had laid a small ornate bag at his feet. Inside was a tiny glass cup. One last tradition. Jeff lifted his left foot and stomped down hard on the glass, feeling and hearing it shatter beneath his shoe.

       “ _Mazel tov_!” the audience cheered and at that Jeff and Annie turned and walked arm in arm towards the exit, wide smiles plastered to their faces.

       As soon as they’d exited they were ushered into a small room and the door was shut behind them, the cheers from the crowd dulling the moment the doors closed.

       Jeff looked around. They were alone in the room together. It was dimly lit. There was a small table with a chair on either side. On the table someone had set up a plate with fruit and cheese and a bottle of sparkling cider had been placed in a champagne bucket with two gold rimmed champagne flutes beside it.

       “What is this?” Jeff asked.

       “ _Yihud_.”

       Jeff gave her a questioning look. She laughed.

       “Privacy for the newlyweds,” she explained.

       Jeff placed his hands on her hips and drew her close, bending to run his lips along the column of her neck. “Okay,” he said. “This one I understand.”

* * *

 

       Jeff stood off to the side, scotch in hand, and watched as his wife danced with just about everyone at the reception, a smile on his face. Jeff Winger, married. Who would have thought.

       “You not going to join the fun?”

       Jeff glanced over as his mother stepped up beside him, slipping her arm through his. He nodded in Annie’s direction. “Give it a few minutes.”

       Doreen gave him a puzzled look but didn’t ask. They stood together and watched Annie twirl in circles with Troy.

      “I’m proud of you, you know,” Doreen said, not taking her eyes off of the dance floor.

      “What for?” Jeff asked.

       Doreen leaned into him. “I used to be so worried about you. Not long ago, this never would have been possible for you. You’ve come so far.”

       “I was just thinking that, actually,” Jeff admitted. “It’s like we’re related or something.”

       “Or something,” she agreed. She stepped away and held out her hand to him, “Now, why don’t you come dance with your mother?”

       Jeff grinned. He had just seen Annie talking to the DJ, she seemed to be requesting a song. “I would,” he said. “But I believe my wife would like this dance.”

       Doreen looked around confused.

       Jeff kept grinning. “In three… two… one…”

       Annie came out of nowhere and snagged Jeff’s arm, dragging him towards the middle of the dance floor just as “Did I Say that Out Loud?” by the Barenaked Ladies started blasting from the speakers. Jeff’s friends surrounded them, all singing along at the top of their lungs. Jeff groaned through his smile and pulled Annie into his arms.

       “It’s not too late for an annulment, you know?” he joked and Annie laughed.

       Jeff turned his head to find that his step-brother, Rich, was among the singing and dancing cluster that surrounded them. “Rich, no.”

       “Not a BNL fan, Jeff?” he asked.

       Jeff groaned again, and started to twirl himself and Annie away from Rich. “Every time I start to like you, you just find some way to ruin it, don’t you?” Jeff teased.

       “We’ll explain later,” Troy said, taking in Rich’s perplexed expression.

       The song ended and the next one, which mercifully wasn’t being sung by the Barenaked Ladies, started playing. Jeff smiled and looked around. “Tyler!” he called to his son who was dancing nearby. He waved him over and then placed Annie’s hand in his. “Take over for me for a second,” Jeff instructed. “It’s my turn for a song request.”

       Jeff wove his way through the dance floor to where the DJ was stationed and gave him the song title and artist. The DJ gave him a quick thumbs-up that Jeff returned.

       He waited on the edge of the dance floor, watching Annie and Tyler dance. When the current song ended, he swooped in, reclaiming his dance partner. He could tell Annie thought it was going to be a funny song, perhaps that he’d picked something by the Dave Mathews Band. She wasn’t ready when a slow song started.

       Jeff twirled them into the center of the dance floor as Dan + Shay’s “From the Ground Up” started playing. Jeff smiled softly as he watched her listen to the lyrics, her eyes growing wide. There had been so much going on during the ceremony that he hadn’t quite had the opportunity to just be with her like this. Even during their moment of privacy after the wedding, they had talked about the ceremony and Tyler’s speech and the reception. Even though they were surrounded by people, dancing together felt intimate.

       “Hey, Jeff?”

       “Yes, Mrs. Edison-Winger?” Jeff responded.

       Annie’s lips pulled into one of those private smiles she reserved for him. She ducked her head for moment to hide the slight blush that had started to creep across her cheeks.

       “Thank you,” she said when looked back up at him. Her eyes were serious.

       “For what?” he asked, slightly puzzled.

       Annie bit the edge of her lip and glanced away. “For what you said to my mom.” She met his eyes again. “Sorry that she showed up. She means well, she just –”

       “Has a sucky way of showing it?”

       “Exactly! I could just kill Anthony sometimes.” Annie sighed. “I shouldn’t be too hard on him, though. I’m sure she strong-armed her way into an invite.”

       “Hey,” Jeff said gently. “Don’t let her rain on your parade, okay?”

       Annie looked put out. “Who told you about the parade?”

       Jeff stopped dancing. “What?”

       Annie face split into a wide, laughing grin. “Got you!” she laughed. “You’re too easy.”

       Jeff sighed through his smile. “I only fell for it because that’s so something you would do,” he said before continuing their slow, circling waltz.

       Annie shot him one last proud look before stepping closer to him, letting her head rest against his chest. A few quiet moments past before she spoke again. She lifted her head to look at him, studying his face. “We’re married,” she said, brushing her fingertips against his cheek.

       Jeff tilted his head towards her hand, placing a gentle kiss on her palm. They were married.


	11. Chapter 11

         With vacation days being hoarded like gold, Jeff and Annie’s honeymoon was just a weekend getaway to Virginia. A mid-tier hotel, dinners out, and a whole weekend just for them. The wedding had, for the most part, gone off without a hitch and it had been one of the best nights of Jeff’s life, but real life awaited them.

         Now that they were married, it was time to discuss the living situation.

         Jeff and Tyler were seated at the table, eating breakfast, when Annie left for work. Jeff waited until he couldn’t hear Annie’s footsteps before speaking. “So, uh –”

         “We’re moving, aren’t we?” Tyler asked, looking up from his cereal bowl.

         “How did you –”

         “I don’t know why you’re always so surprised that I notice things,” Tyler said. “Also, you’re married with a baby on the way. I didn’t exactly think we’d be going back home anytime soon.”

         Jeff pushed his egg whites around his plate for a moment before he asked, “How do you feel about that? Moving, I mean. Time to cast your vote.”

         “Could I be homeschooled?” Tyler asked.

         Jeff gave Tyler a crooked smile. “You really want to be homeschooled? While living with Annie?”

         Tyler grimaced. “Good point.”

         “Yeah, I thought so.”

         Tyler looked down at his cereal as he thought. “I don’t want to move,” he said.

         Jeff felt his heart sink. “Okay,” he said. “We’ll figure something else out.”

         “But I’ll do it.”

         “What?”

         “I don’t want to live in DC, and I don’t want to go to a new school, but I’ll do it,” Tyler said. “I want to be at home with my friends, but it’s not fair for me to make you choose who to live with. And it wouldn’t be fair to Annie and Elizabeth if I divided the family.”

         Jeff reached across the table and offered out his hand. Tyler placed his hand in Jeff’s and Jeff gave it a tiny squeeze. Tyler had had to sacrifice so much more than Jeff had ever wanted him to. He knew it wasn’t fair. He couldn’t have asked for a better kid.

         “Thank you,” Jeff said, squeezing his hand once more before letting go.

           Tyler grinned. “I didn’t say it wasn’t go to cost you,” he joked. “I was going to ask Maggie out when school started back. You’re gonna owe me so big.”

* * *

 

           After Jeff’s talk with Tyler, planning to fully move to DC began in earnest. Jeff got Tyler signed up for school and went to work looking for a storage unit for their stuff back in Colorado. They could keep the furniture there until they needed it in DC or until they returned home.

          Jeff and Tyler flew back to Colorado for a quick visit with the grandparents and to pack up the apartment. Jeff also paid a visit to the Dean in order to convince him to allow Jeff to take a one-year paid sabbatical. To be honest, there wasn’t much he couldn’t get Craig to do for him. The deal required a small pay-cut and an embarrassing photoshoot, but they made it work. The things he did for love.

          Jeff rented a small trailer that he could tow behind the Lexus and began their two-day drive back to Washington, DC with the rest of their stuff. The uninterrupted time with Tyler was nice, but by the end of the trip he was starting to think that maybe flying wasn’t such a bad option after all.

* * *

 

              Jeff and Annie were seated on the couch one evening after Jeff’s cross-country road trip, when the baby first kicked.

              Annie had been feeling the baby move for weeks, but no one else had been able to feel it yet. Annie had been very still for the past hour, barely talking. She seemed to be concentrating. Jeff was zoned out on his phone. Beside him Annie kind of jerked, like she had been poked in the side. Jeff raised his eyebrows.

             “All good?” he asked.

             “Yeah,” she answered distractedly.

              Jeff was just turning back to his phone when –

             “Jeff!” She grabbed his hand and pressed it against the side of her stomach, holding it there tightly.

             “What –” Jeff started to ask, but then he felt it. A gentle bump against his hand, like someone nudging him from underneath a thick blanket.

              He felt his mouth fall open. And then he felt it again. “Holy shit,” he said out loud, shifting onto his knees so that his body was facing Annie.

             “Tyler!” Annie called, waving him over when he poked his head into the den.

              Annie grabbed Tyler’s hand, too, and placed it next to Jeff’s so that their pinkies were pressed against each other, hands laid side-by-side on her stomach.

              Elizabeth kicked again and Tyler’s expression morphed into one of amazement. “Does it hurt?” he asked.

Annie smiled and shook her head. “It feels weird, but it doesn’t hurt.”

              They felt another kick, but Jeff had his eyes on Tyler, watching his face light up, a life altering realization beginning to dawn on him.

              Babies grow up. They grow into children, into adults. And this one had his DNA. His mind raced through every quirk, every issue he had, self-inflicted or otherwise, and he balked. Tyler had picked up his mannerisms after just five years of living with him, and they didn’t even come from the same gene pool. With Tyler, Jeff had thought that if he just did everything for Tyler that William hadn’t done for him, then the kid would be fine. The possibility of screwing a child up from the moment of conception hadn’t occurred to him until now and the idea was terrifying.

              He understood the mental static now. His brain had been protecting him from the truth. And the truth was that he’d royally fucked up.

              Annie and Tyler were still smiling. This was still a happy moment for them.

              The gentle nudges beneath his palm had ceased, so he moved his hand away and slowly got his feet. Tyler and Annie were talking. They didn’t seem to notice him exit the room. He went back to bedroom and shut the door.

              He was sitting in silence on the corner of the bed when Annie peeked in. “You okay?” she asked.

              “I can’t do this,” Jeff answered.

              “What do you mean?” she asked, stepping into the bedroom and shutting the door behind her.

              Jeff shook his head. “Annie, I can’t do this. I’m not cut out for it.”

             “Not cut out for what?”

             He got to his feet, feeling suddenly frantic. “We made a person. A person! This whole time I’ve been worried because I don’t know how to take care of a baby, but I just realized that I’ve been worrying about the wrong thing. We created a life! A little human being that didn’t exist until five months ago and that is a lot of responsibility! I’m going to mess this up.”

             Annie reached to comfort him, trailing her hand down his arm and taking his hand in hers. “You aren’t going to mess up,” she said. “I think you keep forgetting that you’re already a father. You’re great with Tyler. How is this any different?”

             “I’m not responsible for Tyler’s existence,” Jeff explained. “I didn’t _make_ him. He was an active choice. And if he ends up with high cholesterol or anxiety or – It isn’t from me.”

             Jeff was trying to explain and he wasn’t doing it right. “And if I’m freaking out about this now, what happens eight years down the line? What if I –” He choked on the words. His fingers curled into anxious fists and he stepped out of Annie’s reach. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, okay? Tyler was different because I wasn’t his dad in the beginning. It’s hard to explain… We didn’t start with that relationship. This kid is going to grow up with me as a dad. That’s all she’ll know. That relationship won’t form the same way. What if I can’t do that?”

            Annie stood up and crossed the distance between them. She reached up and took his face in her hands, brushing her thumbs against his cheeks. He hadn’t realized that he was crying until he felt her fingers spreading his tears against his skin. He tried to duck his head, but she wouldn’t let him move.

           “Jeff Winger, you have known me for eight years. You know me better than anyone. Would I marry someone capable of leaving his family?”

           Jeff stared deep into the pools of her eyes, looking for a lifeline.

          “You have always been a better man than you think you are and this child is lucky to have you as her father,” Annie continued. “Surprisingly, I don’t know the probability of you passing on high cholesterol, but I do know that only bad parents never question if they’re cut out to raise a child.”

          Annie’s hands still held either side of his face, holding his gaze to her. He reached up and wrapped his fingers around her wrists, holding tight. He’d found his lifeline.


	12. Chapter 12

          Jeff was in the kitchen cooking when Annie came home from work. She was humming as she dumped her stuff on the couch.

         “Good day?” he asked her as she swooped in for a kiss.

         “Great day,” she responded. Jeff was glad. Work had been wearing on her a lot more lately. At almost twenty-five weeks pregnant, the aches and pains had started to get to her more. She usually came home grumpy and sore.

         “Dinner should be ready soon,” Jeff said, placing the lid back over a steaming pot and throwing his dish towel over one shoulder. “Why don’t you have a seat and tell me about this great day of yours.”

         Annie sat back on the couch with a smile. “Well,” she began. “I got some good news.”

         “Yeah?” Jeff prompted as he bent to check the chicken he had baking in the oven.

         “It seems my skills are needed. They’re sending me to Arizona for a couple of weeks.”

          Jeff straightened up and turned to her. “No.”

          Annie looked genuinely shocked. “No?”

          “No, you can’t go.”

          She got up from the couch, her shoulders set. “It’s not a choice!”

          “Quit, then.”

           Annie rolled her eyes in frustration. “That’s not an option. You know that!”

           “You have a contract, right?” Jeff asked, taking a step towards her. “Let me see it. I’ll find a loophole.”

           “You’re going to find a loop hole that the United States government missed?”

           “Yes.”

           Annie made a noise of exasperation. “Jeff, no. That’s ridiculous. It’s only two weeks, I’ll be fine. They know I’m pregnant. It’s just office work, I swear.”

           Jeff wasn’t buying it. “Why do they have to send you away to do office work?”

           Annie faltered. “You know I can’t tell you that.”

           Jeff jerked the dish towel from his shoulder and chunked it at the kitchen counter.

           “What is wrong with you?” Annie almost shouted.

           “I don’t want you to go!”

           “Would you please calm down and let me do my job?” she asked angrily. “I’m pregnant, not helpless. I can travel!”

           “I’m not worried about the _travel_ ,” Jeff shot back in frustration.

           “You don’t believe me? You think I’m going to be in danger?”

           “Yes!”

           “It’s nice to see that you trust me,” she said sarcastically. “If stuff like this was going to be such a problem, then why did you marry me?”

           “Because I love you!”

            Annie stopped in her tracks, her expression turning to surprise and Jeff sank onto the couch, spent. “I’m never going to be okay with your job. Not really.” He sighed. “I believe you when you say that you’ll be safe. I don’t seriously think they’d put you in harm’s way when you’re pregnant. But that doesn’t change the fact that if the circumstances were different, they _could_ be putting you in danger.”

            Annie joined him on the couch. “I won’t be working there much longer. Just another year. I can get transferred to a smaller field office. Or work for the Colorado Bureau. It’s in Denver.”

            He smiled at her like you did when kids told you they never wanted to grow up. “Any job where part of your work attire is a pistol on your belt is going to make me just as crazy.”

            “Then I can do something else. I’m not technically doing anything with my hospital administration degree.”

            Jeff shook his head. “Please don’t factor me into that choice. I want you to do what you want to do. Even if that means your performance review includes marksmanship. I just want you to know that I’m not going to stop worrying about your safety. Ever.”

            He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. “I’m sorry I ruined your day.”

            “You didn’t,” she said. “My husband just threatened the US government over my safety. I’m sure you’re on a watchlist now, but other than that it was kind of romantic.”

             Jeff chuckled as he got his feet. “I’ll go get Tyler for dinner. I’m sure the chicken is burned to a crisp by now.”

* * *

 

             “I’m getting really tired of dropping you off at airports,” Jeff sighed as he pulled the car up to the curb. The DC airport looked nothing like the Denver one, but he felt like he’d been here a million times before. If he had a least favorite word in the English language, it was ‘departures’.

             “One more year,” Annie reminded him.

             They got out of the car and Jeff went around to the trunk to unload her suitcase. The process of dropping her off and saying goodbye was automatic and it sucked. He shut the trunk and wheeled her bag over to her, handing it off.

             “Be careful,” he warned. “Or they really will have to put me on a watchlist.”

              She stood on tip-toe to kiss him softly. “I’m always careful. See you soon.”

              “See you soon.”

               He waved goodbye as she disappeared from view.

* * *

 

               While Annie was gone, Jeff spent his days apartment hunting. The dwindling number of weeks they had until the due date was really starting to stress him out. On the days when there were no apartments to tour, he wandered the city. Tyler was back in school and he was technically jobless. There wasn’t a lot of point in looking for work either. In six weeks he would be taking on the full-time position of stay-at-home dad. The thought made his stomach drop.

               After almost giving himself a panic attack at the National Mall, Jeff decided it was better if he spent his last week before Annie came home out of the public eye.

               After two days of restlessly forcing himself to stay home, Tyler approached him. “I just wanted to remind you of our deal.”

               Jeff looked at him in confusion.

               “I get a ten-minute warning if you’re going psycho.”

               Jeff looked at his son and then down at himself. He had been bouncing his leg without noticing. He quickly stopped, crossing his legs to prevent it from happening again. “I’m not going to go psycho,” Jeff assured him.

               Tyler gave him an unconvinced look. After a moment he said, “You know, sometimes I just can’t figure you out.”

               “What do you mean?”

               Tyler seemed to be studying him. “I can’t tell if you’re excited or scared shitless.”

               “About what?” Jeff questioned even though he knew the answer.

               “Elizabeth.”

               Jeff felt the muscles in his leg tense, but he resisted the urge to keep bouncing it. He opened his mouth to say something cool and snarky, but instead he said, “Can’t I be both?”

               Huh. Accidental honesty.

              Tyler sat down beside him, still watching him closely. “Sure. But if you’re going to be both, could we maybe find you a hobby?”

              “A hobby?”

              “You may not be going crazy, but I am.” Tyler nodded at Jeff’s bouncing leg. “You’re driving me up the wall.”

               Jeff put both feet and the ground and leaned forward, elbows on knees in an attempt to keep the tic from returning. Maybe he was crazy.

               “Let’s do something to help Annie,” Tyler suggested.

               Something to help Annie. Jeff looked around the room. The den was kind of a mess. There were game cases piled up near the TV and empty glasses on the coffee table. The room could use a good dusting, too.

              “We could clean the apartment,” he suggested.

              “Perfect idea.” Tyler got to his feet and grabbed the empty cups, heading for the kitchen. “We’ll put our nervous energy to good use.”

              “ _Our_ nervous energy?” Jeff asked.

              Tyler shrugged. “Speaking as an only child who has literally never held a baby, I’m scared and excited too.”

              Jeff got his feet with a nod and started organizing his and Tyler video game collection, clearing off the TV stand. Annie was going to come home to the cleanest apartment in existence.

 

              Once Annie was home, Jeff’s anxiety seemed to subside despite the fact that their lives seemed to have picked up speed. Annie was in her third-trimester now, meaning that they had doctor’s appointments every two weeks, and they were narrowing down apartment options.

              By the time they’d found a new place to live and moved in, Annie was at thirty-two weeks.

              “She’s the size of a squash this week,” Annie announced over breakfast. She was smiling down at her phone. She had downloaded one of those pregnancy tracker apps and had somehow become more consistent with updating them on Elizabeth’s progress in the womb. Jeff didn’t find it nearly as fascinating as Annie and Tyler did.

              Tyler leaned over in his seat at the table to see what Annie was looking at and she moved her phone so that it was between them. “She has fingernails and toenails now, too,” Tyler read off.

              “We should probably have the baby shower soon,” Annie said, putting down her phone. “We could have it in the new apartment.”

              “Don’t we have enough stuff?” Jeff asked. “I seem to remember someone buying an entire aisle’s worth of baby clothes earlier this year.”

              Annie glared at him and Jeff smirked back.

              “We need stuff other than clothes,” she said. “Like a crib? Or would you rather our daughter slept on the ground?”

              Jeff sighed. “Alright, we’ll start planning. Show me the baby shower idea book.”


	13. Chapter 13

       The Edison-Winger clan celebrated Thanksgiving in their new apartment. The three and a half of them sat around the table to a modest meal of store-bought turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, and yams. It wasn’t Doreen’s typical spread, but they made due. It was their first Thanksgiving as a family.

       Thanksgiving, much to Jeff’s displeasure, had also turned into a double celebration. He had assumed that his birthday had been overlooked in all the hustle and bustle. He groaned when Tyler popped out of the kitchen with a cake in hand, candles already lit.

       “Can’t you people leave me alone?” he mumbled as he blew out the candles, attempting to ignore the big ‘44’ written in blue icing.

       Annie grinned. “Where’s the fun in that?”

* * *

 

       Jeff woke up to someone shaking him. At first, he ignored it, but then it happened again. He sat up quickly. Annie was watching him through the darkness. “What is it?” he asked blearily. “What’s wrong?”

       “I can’t sleep.”

       Jeff huffed and laid back forcefully. “Well I can,” he grumbled, rolling over so his back was to her and closed his eyes. “Thanks for the heart attack, by the way.”

       Annie shook him again. “Your daughter is keeping me up,” she said. “If I can’t sleep, neither can you.”

       He blew a forceful breath out through his pursed lips and rolled onto his back so that he could see her. “She’s my daughter now, huh?”

       “When she’s bruising my organs, she’s yours.”

       Jeff sleepily reached out and patted against Annie’s stomach. “Please go to sleep, Elizabeth. Dad needs his sleep.”

       Annie cleared her throat.

       “And Mommy needs her organs,” he added.

       “Thanks for the afterthought,” Annie said.

       Jeff was smiling at her when she winced slightly. He sat up to get a better look at her. “Is she kicking you that hard?” he asked.

       Annie shook her head. “No, that one wasn’t her. My back is just bugging me.” She laid a hand across her stomach, rubbing gently. “No offense, little girl, but you are getting heavy.”

       Jeff watched her silently for a minute before speaking. “Are you sure it’s just normal back pain?”

       “I think so,” she answered.

       Jeff could feel the beginnings of anxious butterflies in his stomach. “Okay, well keep me posted. Just in case.”

       Annie laid back against her pillows and closed her eyes. “She seems to have given up on the dance lessons for tonight,” she yawned.

       “Good night,” Jeff said, but he stayed awake for another hour, trying to calm the rising tide of nerves.

* * *

 

       It didn’t take long after waking up for the butterflies to return in full force. Jeff just couldn’t seem to keep himself calm. Annie seemed perfectly normal, so he shouldn’t be worried. But something felt off.

       Today was the day of the baby shower and Annie was already busy decorating. She was standing to the side, instructing Tyler, who stood on a chair near the doorway, on where to hang one of the many banners. Even at thirty-eight weeks pregnant, she was going above and beyond. Annie was a force of nature.

       Jeff tried to back out of the room, intending to hide until the last streamer had been hung, but Annie spotted him before he could make his escape. Just like that, he’d been drafted for party duty. She had them decorating until almost the minute guests started arriving. She only let them go because they had to get ready for the party.

       The guest list for the baby shower had only been slightly less extensive than the one for their wedding, and thankfully not everyone showed. Jeff didn’t feel like dealing with a thousand people in his apartment. The new place was quite an upgrade from Annie’s old apartment with its closet-bedrooms and one bathroom, but it felt very crowded very quickly.

       George and Doreen were the first to arrive. They hadn’t seen them since the wedding, so Doreen and Annie were all squeals and hugs. Jeff preferred George’s company when they got like this. George seemed perpetually calm. Jeff was so grateful for the lack of hysterics that he even asked him about his birdhouses, which he then immediately regretted.

       Troy, Abed, Britta, Shirley, and Frankie were there, as well as Rich and a few of Annie’s work friends. The others were there in the form of gifts and cards they had mailed them.

       Annie got to show off the new apartment, including the freshly painted nursery. The walls had been painted a pastel purple and the closet was more than stocked with the results of Annie’s hormonal shopping trip. The curtains were white and lacy and there were two hanging shelves fixed to the wall, already overflowing with books.

       Annie had a few party games planned that Jeff happily sat out. He instead offered to be the official photographer, snapping photos of the group as they played and mingled. He enjoyed being the silent observer more than a participant. Plus, it won him brownie points with Annie. In her excitement it didn’t occur to her to suspect him of trying to get out of participating. His excuse didn’t last long though. When present time came, everyone insisted that he help Annie open the gifts. George took over the photographer role for him as he took his place beside Annie.

       Thankfully Annie had warned everyone about the clothing situation, so the presents were all things that they actually needed. Not counting all the mail in gifts, they received a crib from George and Doreen, a bath set from Rich, and a veritable mountain of diapers from the Bennetts. Frankie got them bottles and Britta, being Britta, got them a Target gift card that said ‘Merry Christmas’ because “What? They were out of the baby-themed ones!”. Annie’s work friends had all pitched in for a car seat and of course, Troy and Abed did the weird thing and got them a small box of emergency food rations. Apparently, Ben and Elizabeth could team up in the post-nuclear wasteland.

       When they had finished with gifts, everyone broke out into conversation. They were sitting around, talking and eating, so no one but Jeff noticed Annie wincing. Jeff silently raised his eyebrows at her. She looked back at him, her eyes slowly widening. She grabbed his hand and got her feet as quickly as she could. She grabbed a few packages of diapers and headed towards the nursery. Jeff, following her lead, did the same. No one seemed to notice their exit.

       Jeff tossed the diapers to the side and shut the door behind them. “What –” he started to ask, but Annie cut him off.

       “That was a contraction,” she said, her voice hitting a high, panicky pitch.

       “Are you sure? It’s still early. It might have just been a Braxton Hicks contraction.”

       She was shaking her head before he’d finished speaking. “I’ve had those. This was not that.”

       “It’s still early,” Jeff repeated. “It’s probably fine. We just need to time them, right?”

       Annie exhaled slowly. “Right. You’re right. Time them.” Annie seemed marginally calmer now. “They could even go away. That happens, too. This may not be labor. I might just be anxious, making practice contractions out to be worse than they are.”

       “Right,” Jeff agreed. The small butterfly enclosure in his stomach had become a full-on menagerie.

       Annie headed back to the party first. She didn’t want anyone noticing their absence. No need to cause a ruckus when it might be nothing. Jeff grabbed the diaper packages and stored them away in the closet to delay his return. He needed a few seconds to calm down. It was still early. He had two more weeks.

       Jeff and Annie resumed their seats on the couch and tried their best to seem completely normal. Just another day.

       Fifteen minutes later, Annie’s hand found Jeff’s thigh and squeezed, her grip tight. Jeff didn’t have to ask, he got out his phone and started the stopwatch.

       Twelve minutes after that she was grabbing his hand. She was squeezing so hard that it hurt. He gave up the pretense of normalcy and turned to her. “Ow,” she muttered, hunching forward. “Seriously, Jeff, ow.”

       “Annie?” Troy asked, having noticed how Annie was sitting. “Are you okay?”

       The room turned their attention on the couple.

       “Jeff?” Doreen asked.

       “Um,” Jeff was too focused on Annie to answer.

       “Annie is in labor,” Abed stated matter-of-factly.

       “ _What_?” came the whole room’s response. Abed just shrugged.

       Annie finally loosened her grip on Jeff’s hand took a deep breath, looking at him when she spoke. “I may or may not be going into labor,” she confirmed.

       Jeff could tell the room was loud but he was paying no attention to it. Annie grabbed his phone and started the stopwatch again. “Twelve minutes,” he said hoarsely and she nodded.

       “Just relax,” Doreen was saying. “This part can take some time. It will happen when it happens. Getting too worked up can slow the process down.”

       “Try moving around a bit,” Shirley suggested. “And do something to keep your mind busy.”

       “We could distract you?” Frankie said, sounding unsure.

       “Movie?” Troy suggested.

       Annie nodded. “Sure, a movie.”

       “I know the perfect one,” Abed said, reaching for the TV remote.

       “Not _Kick Puncher_ ,” Frankie said, and Abed hesitated.

       “Oh!” Britta snatched the remote from him. “I’ve got one. It’s a documentary about the meat industry and animal cruelty –”

       “Ugh!” the entirety of the Greendale crew groaned at once, causing the guests less familiar with Britta to look surprised by their reaction.

       “Can you not be the worst today?” Troy said, taking the remote back from her. “Do you really want that to be the baby’s first impression of you?”

       “Maybe not a movie,” Shirley said. “What about a TV show?”

       Annie’s face split into a mischievous grin. “I hear that _Gilmore Girls_ is really good.”

       That snapped Jeff out of his anxiety fueled thought spiral. “Uh, no.” He shot Annie a quick look. She looked so genuinely happy that he couldn’t be mad. Maybe Shirley was right. Maybe a distraction was what she needed. “Troy, you pick. I trust your judgement. Relative to this.”

       Troy smiled and navigated to Netflix and pulled up the first season of _The IT Crowd_. “It’s British humor, but I swear it’s funny.”

       One episode in and Annie’s work friends were leaving. They wished her luck and thanked her for the invite then quickly dipped out.

       “We ran them off,” Abed noted. Abed was seated on the floor along with the rest of the Greendale gang. George and Doreen had pulled up chairs. Rich was on the arm of the couch next to them. Jeff was seated in the center of the sofa with one arm around Tyler and the other around Annie.

       Jeff shrugged. “This is a family thing.”

       Annie would periodically squeeze his hand whenever she felt a contraction. She didn’t make noise or hunch over again, but he could feel her tense up. Every time she squeezed his hand it would hurt just a little bit more. He could tell they were getting worse. They were also getting closer together. The timer now read eight minutes between contractions.

       She would sometimes get up and walk around. She would go get a glass of water, or a snack, or go to the bathroom. She never wanted it to look like she was pacing, but that’s what she was doing.

       When they reached the end of episode two, Annie’s silence finally broke. She squeezed his hand, her eyes shut tight, and made an involuntary noise in the back of her throat. It was loud enough that attention was back on her. When it finally stopped Annie got to her feet and walked away.

       Jeff saw a flash of something in her face, something he recognized. He immediately jumped up and followed her.

       “Hey,” he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and turned her so that she was facing him. Her eyes were wide. She looked scared. This wasn’t Annie. Annie was optimistic. She was excited. Something was wrong. “What’s going on?”

       “Annie, sweetie, it’s okay,” Doreen said. She had gotten up and was making her way towards them.

       “Mom, sit down,” Jeff said, not taking his eyes off of Annie. He could tell that Doreen was not helping.

       Doreen ignored him. “This is only temporary. The pain passes –”

       “Mom.”

       She was halfway to them now. She meant well but Annie was dangling by a thread. “Why don’t you –”

       “ _Mom_!” Jeff’s volume and tone made her stop dead in her tracks. Jeff pointed back towards the couch, a silent demand.

       When Doreen had resumed her seat, Jeff took Annie by her shoulders and quietly said, “Talk to me. Please.”

       Annie was suddenly shaking her head with vigor. “Jeff, I can’t do this,” she said.

       “Can’t do what?”

       “I can’t do this,” she repeated. “I can’t be a mom. What was I thinking? This is insanity. _I can’t do this_.”

       Jeff’s mouth popped open to speak before he had words. “Um, it’s a little late for that now, dontcha think?”

       “I don’t care. I’ve seen the light and I can’t do it.”

       Jeff faltered again. Something had snapped and he had no clue what. She hadn’t given him much to go on. “Care to elaborate?”

       “You were worried about becoming your dad, but what if I become my mom? I don’t want to create another little Annie Adderall.”

       Jeff inhaled sharply, clues snapping into place. He squeezed her shoulders tightly, making sure she was paying attention. “That won’t happen.”

       “How do you know?”

       “Because I’ve seen you with Tyler,” Jeff replied. “You’re great with him. You’re the go-to homework helper. You’re the go-to problem solver. And never once have I seen you push him or pressure him into being anything other than exactly who he is. Elizabeth is going to grow up a perfectly normal child. One that doesn’t get stress headaches at the age of four.”

       Annie grabbed onto Jeff’s forearms tightly, fingers digging into flesh. Her eyes closed and she gritted her teeth. Another contraction.

       “Don’t let me be like her,” she panted when it had passed.

       “Hey, you push out this kid and I’ll agree to anything you want me to.”

       Jeff smiled at his own joke. It looked like Annie started to smile too, but then she froze, eyes going wide.

       “You should go get the car,” she said. Her voice sounded strange.

       Jeff straightened up slightly in confusion, his hands still rested on her shoulders. “What? Why?”

       “Because my water just broke.”


	14. Chapter 14

       Jeff knew his limbs should be moving. He knew he was supposed to go get the overnight bag from the bedroom and then go get the car keys. But he couldn’t remember where they were. He also couldn’t remember how to move.

       “Jeff!”

       Annie. Right. Think about Annie.

       He let go of her shoulders and went to the bedroom, grabbing the hospital bag. When he made it back into the den she had one hand on the wall, one hand wrapped around her stomach, her face screwed up in pain. Shirley and Doreen were with her.

       Jeff locked up again. This was happening so fast. They were a pair today, weren’t they? Neither one of them could seem to keep it together. They had prepared so much and they were still falling apart at the seams.

       “Jeff.” This time it was Rich’s voice. He was standing in front of him, shaking him slightly. “It’s okay. This is all normal.” Rich’s voice was calm and collected. “She needs you to be calm right now.”

       Jeff’s eyes started to wander to Annie but Rich shook him again. “Hey, I’m a doctor, remember? I did a four-week gynecology rotation. I’ve delivered babies.”

       “So have I!” Abed called from behind him.

       “Oh! Me, too!” Britta chimed in, her hand in the air.

       “See?” Rich said with a smile. “She’s in good hands. Now, let’s get her to the hospital.”

       Jeff nodded. He felt better. Now that he was calmer he could remember where the keys were. They were in his jacket pocket and his jacket was hanging by the door. He grabbed the keys, but then Troy was taking them from him.

       “I’ll drive,” he said. “You sit in the back with her.”

       Jeff didn’t argue.

       “Rich, you coming?” Troy called as he left the apartment.

       Jeff went back to get Annie. He and Rich helped her into the elevator and out to the parking lot where Troy had the car ready and waiting for them.

       The hospital was a fifteen-minute drive away. By the time they got there Annie was groaning with each contraction.

       Troy and Rich dropped them off at labor and delivery ward, where they were met by a nurse and taken to a triage room. They asked Jeff a few questions while they hooked a fetal monitor to Annie’s stomach and did a quick cervical check.

       After their tests were finished, they quickly admitted her to the hospital. They took them to a private room and gave Annie a gown to change into.

       Annie sat down on the edge of the bed and Jeff stood off to the side, both very quiet. Finally, Annie called to him. He moved and sat down beside her. She looked scared again, but not in the same way as before.

       “Don’t let me be like her,” she said, repeating her request from earlier.

       “You trust me, right?” Jeff asked.

       “Yes.”

       “Then believe me when I say: I would never have married someone who was capable of that. You’re going to be a wonderful mother.”

       “Yeah?”

       “I never once doubted it.”

* * *

 

       If they thought waiting at the apartment had been trying, it was nothing compared to this. Her contractions were stronger and closer together now, making distracting her a much more difficult a task. They walked around a bit together before turning on the TV and finding a movie to watch. It was _Pretty Woman_ , because somewhere in the world, _Pretty Woman_ was always on.

       The movie worked for a while until it didn’t. Jeff was trying desperately to remember what he was supposed to be doing to help her. Once when she was in the midst of a particularly painful contraction he remembered to remind her to breathe. To which her response was: “You breathe!” He didn’t try to remind her again.

       Sometime around hour seven of being in the hospital, they came in to do another cervical check. They announced that she was dilated to eight centimeters. She was going to be entering the transition phase of labor. She probably had a few more hours before the birth. Annie’s response was to ask for an epidural.

       Jeff watched in horror as they stuck a needle the length of his finger into his wife’s spine, but Annie hardly seemed to flinch. She sat forward with her eyes closed and took it like a champ.

       After that she seemed much better. Uncomfortable, but no longer in pain. She lay back in bed exhausted. She was even in good spirits enough to make a joke.

       “I wish we could’ve watched _Pretty Woman_ after the shot. I probably would have enjoyed it more.”

       Her eyes closed and within minutes she was asleep. Jeff left the room, letting the nurse know where he was going just in case anything happened while he was gone. He found his way to the waiting room where his mother and Tyler were seated together. The others had apparently stayed behind to build the crib for them. Jeff blamed the prickling behind his eyes on his exhaustion. It was the middle of the night, after all. He didn’t stay long. He needed to get back to Annie.

       As he was leaving he caught Tyler’s hand. “All good?” he asked seriously.

       Tyler smiled and nodded. He looked anxious but fine. “All good.”

       Back in Annie’s room, about an hour after the epidural, Dr. Williams arrived to check on Annie. Jeff hated to wake her up, but they needed to check how far along she was.

       Half an hour later they were wheeling her into the delivery room. Annie was in active labor.

       Jeff was changing into his gown in a trance-like state. Active labor. Delivery room.

       The delivery room was more crowded than he had expected. There were four nurses and the doctor, plus he and Annie. Lots of monitors and equipment, too.

       Dr. Williams was in a surgical cap, gloves, and a face mask, not just the little cloth kind, but one with a clear plastic bit that covered her eyes. Jeff was suddenly very worried about fainting.

       They checked her cervix again and suddenly it was on to the pushing. Jeff was beside Annie while she pushed, her hand in his. The epidural had helped with the contractions, but some of the pain seemed to have returned for the birth. He thought he felt his knuckles pop when she squeezed and he tried not wince. What a ridiculous notion to complain about his hand when she was literally forcing a human being out of a hole that was much too small.

       He had thought this part would go quickly. When Shirley had Ben it was over in minutes, but Annie was struggling. Her hair was sticking to her face and her eyes were closed tight. She strained with every push, involuntary, guttural noises escaping from the back of her throat.

       The nurses handed him a damp washcloth for Annie, but they didn’t tell him what to do. He dabbed it against her forehead.

       “Is this helping?” he asked. “I’m not sure –”

       “Would you shut up for once in your life?” Annie hissed through her teeth as she pushed.

       “Right, sorry.”

       As soon as she was done, she opened her eyes and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. Please keep talking. Please.” Her voice was pleading.

       Jeff was at a loss. He was so bad at this. The books had said he was supposed to be her coach but he didn’t know how.

       “I can see the head,” Dr. Williams announced and Jeff suddenly remembered where he was and why they were here.

       He leaned in close to Annie and whispered, “Did you hear that? They can see her.”

       Annie pushed again and when she stopped he kept talking. “You’re doing great. You’re so close.”

       The head was out. Then the shoulders. Jeff resisted the urge to look, he kept his eyes on Annie’s face. “Almost there.”

       Suddenly the room was loud with the sound of a screaming infant. Jeff finally looked up to see Dr. Williams pull a tiny bawling human out of his wife. The tiny human was covered in crap and was screaming but Jeff didn’t care. Elizabeth was the most miraculous thing he had ever seen.

       They quickly did a few checks and wiped her off before they laid her down on Annie’s chest. She had stopped screaming and her dark blue eyes were open, looking up at Annie.

       Annie’s mouth was open in disbelief. She gently wrapped her arms around her. As soon as her fingers touched Elizabeth’s skin, she was crying.

       Jeff hadn’t realized that he was crying too, until his vision blurred. He was just now beginning to grasp that even after thirty-eight weeks of preparation, nothing could have truly prepared him for this. For how he felt. He reached out to touch her, brushing his fingers against her soft, dark hair. Dark like her mother’s.

       “We made her,” Annie said, looking up at him.

       Jeff shook his head in disbelief. “I’m giving you 99% of the credit.”

       “1% still counts, you know.”

       They had a daughter. She was here and she was real. All six pounds and eight ounces of her.

       After a few minutes they took Elizabeth away to get cleaned up, but as soon as they were done they brought her right back. Annie and Elizabeth had to stay there for a while for monitoring, but Jeff was allowed to step out for a bit. He had some good news to share.

       Jeff had a big toothy grin on his face when he stepped into the waiting room. “It’s a girl,” he announced to the sound of cheering.

* * *

 

       They moved Annie and Elizabeth into her postpartum room and got everyone comfortable. They went over a few things with them about changing her and swaddling her and then let them be, promising to check in later. They could always call if they had questions.

       She was asleep now, but Annie didn’t want to put her down and Jeff knew the feeling. It was like if he wasn’t touching her it wasn’t real. He didn’t want to take his eyes off of her, but there was someone else who needed to be there.

       He went back out into the waiting room and locked eyes with Tyler. He gestured to him silently and Tyler crossed the room to meet him. “Come meet your little sister,” he whispered.

       Jeff had his phone ready when Tyler walked up to Annie and Elizabeth and he was glad he did. After everything they’d been through, seeing Tyler’s face light up was so wonderful and such a relief that he could have sat down and cried right there.

       “Hi, Elizabeth,” Tyler said softly. “I’m Tyler. I’m your brother.”

       “Do you want to hold her?” Annie asked.

       Jeff almost laughed at Tyler’s face. Sometimes he wondered if Tyler wasn’t somehow his biological son. His whole face screamed ‘I’m not so sure about this’.

       “Sit down,” Jeff instructed gently.

       Tyler sat down in the chair by the window, still looking unsure. Jeff took Elizabeth from Annie and turned to his son. “Hold out your arms like mine.” Tyler copied him and then Jeff gently placed Elizabeth in his arms, taking a seat next to him.

       “See?” Jeff said quietly so that only Tyler could hear. “I think we were all worried for nothing.”

       “Maybe,” Tyler agreed, smiling down at his baby sister. “She is pretty cute.”

* * *

 

       Family and friends had long since gone with half a million photos taken as proof. Annie had fallen asleep as soon as the door had closed behind them, but Jeff was wide awake. This was his first moment alone to just hold his daughter and he wanted to savor it.

       He took his thumb and brushed it against her cheek. She was so small. She yawned and shifted in his arms, eyes still closed, and he smiled down at her. Elizabeth Grace. His daughter. Holding her felt so natural. He had been so worried about this moment, and now that it was here he wanted to laugh about how wrong he’d been. His fears from before seemed ridiculous now that he held her in his arms. The bond he had worried would be missing was definitely there, the glowing warmth radiating through his chest was more than proof. He could never leave her. There was no way he could ever repeat his father’s mistakes.

       There, with his infant daughter in his arms, he felt a small pang of sadness for William. What a lonely life he would have led without this. Without Tyler. Without Annie. He thought back to before Greendale, back when he thought his life was perfect, and wondered if he’d even known the definition of that word back then.

       “Hello, Elizabeth,” Jeff whispered. “I’m your daddy. You made life pretty crazy there for a while, but if I’ve learned one thing over the past eight and a half years, it’s that crazy is not always a bad thing.”


End file.
